Brisbane’s Victoria Bridge

A wonderful time living in Brisbane as a volunteer tour guide, as I was staying with couchsurfing hosts in Brisbane’s artsy West End … I would cross this bridge daily to get to work on the HMB Endeavour. This was Brisbane’s first permanent bridge and had its foundation stone laid on August 22, 1864 by the late Governor Bowen. It wasn’t finished construction until late 1874 due to financial constraints the city was having at the time. A temporary wooden bridge was opened for traffic in 1865, but due to its partial collapse in 1867 due to the wood-boring worm known as Teredo, was closed until final completion of the now permanent one. In 1893 floodwaters carried away the northern half of the bridge, again in 1896 on the temporary structure, and it was re-opened in June 1897. Due to buckling stresses in 1943, the bridge began restricting number of trams allowed on it, though it lasted until 1969 when it was demolished. A second bridge was created by A.B. Brady in 1969, made of steel, costing 3.2 million, with two carriageways and two footpaths. A This was the first road connection between the north and south Brisbane. The bridge is shared by pedestrians, vehicles, and bicyclists – each with their own lanes. It connects the South Bank Parklands and the Queensland Cultural Center to the city center called the Brisbane central business district or the “CBD” at North Quay. Half of its current roadspace is now consumed by the southeast Busway system. The bridge has some great panoramic views of the Brisbane River, the Cultural Center, and the City Center.