Nowra Road Bridge, Princes Hwy, Nowra, NSW, Australia
Posted by: 
Tuena
S 34° 51.931 E 150° 36.120
56H E 280798 N 6139247
The Nowra Bridge over the Shoalhaven River is the only American pin-jointed Whipple truss in service in New South Wales.
Waymark Code: WMWFVV
Location: New South Wales, Australia
Date Posted: 08/29/2017
Views: 4
Construction commenced in July 1879; the bridge was completed on 2 November 1880 and opened on 1 August 1881. It has eight metal truss spans, one of which is larger than the other. The recorded spans vary. The largest are variously recorded as 60.7m, 56m and 55.3m; the other spans from 38m to 38.7m. Similarly, records of the sum of the spans vary from 321m-330m. Whichever records are taken, the bridge was the second largest of Australian metal truss bridges built by that time.
In terms of maximum span, it was second only to the rail bridge at Longford, Tasmania (1871, 64m); in sum of spans, second only to the Moorabool railway viaduct (1862, 396 m). Of these, only Longford remains in its original form. Considering other bridge types, the metal girder bridge at Geelong (1859) had a longer main span 64m; and the 1880 suspension bridge at Rockhampton was also larger. Neither of these remain.
The bridge at Nowra remains as one of the most important examples of early long span bridge construction in Australia.
The bridge has two lanes carrying traffic heading South, with a newer cement bridge beside it for traffic heading north. An electronic sign directs trucks to move to the centre of the road so as not to collide with the bridge spans.
The Office of Environment & Heritage NSW Government (
visit link) has more detailed information about the bridge.
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