Dickabram Bridge

Dickabram Bridge
Dickabram Bridge over the Mary River
Carries	Motor vehicles, Railway
Crosses	Mary River
Locale	Miva, Queensland
Designer	Henry Charles Stanley
Design	Truss bridge
Material	Timber, Steel
Total length	191 metres (627 ft)
Longest span	36.6 metres (120 ft)
Number of spans	14 (6.1m, 7.9m, three at 11m, 11.6m, 24.1m, 36.6m, 24.1m, 11.6m, two at 11m, 7.9m and 6.1m)
Vertical clearance	4.3 metres (14 ft)
Clearance below	23 metres (75 ft)
Constructed by	McDermott Owen & Co.
Construction begin	1885
Construction end	6 December 1886
Heritage status	Registered (ID 15956)
Coordinates	25°57′14″S 152°29′43″E / 25.9540°S 152.4954°E / -25.9540; 152.4954Coordinates: 25°57′14″S 152°29′43″E / 25.9540°S 152.4954°E / -25.9540; 152.4954

The Dickabram Bridge is a road and rail bridge over the Mary River near Miva, north-west of Gympie in Queensland, Australia. It was the major bridge on the Kingaroy line.

The heritage listed bridge is one of only two remaining road and rail bridges in Australia^[1] and the only one in Queensland. It is the oldest remaining large steel truss bridge constructed in Queensland.^[2]

Dickabram Bridge timber road deck

The steel and timber truss bridge, built by McDermott Owen & Co., was completed in November 1886 and the line opened for traffic between Dickabram and Kilkivan on 6 December 1886. It is 191m long and stands 23m above the Mary River. All spans are metal trusses except for the 11m approach spans which are tied timber girders. The two river piers are cast iron cylinders; the remaining piers and road deck are timber.

The name of the bridge comes from a local Aboriginal word Dickabram meaning Sweet potato that grew along the river flats there. The bridge decking was submerged under water only once during the 1893 floods.^[3] The bridge was registered on the Register of the National Estate in 1988.

The extensive restoration of the bridge, involving replacement of hardwood timber beams^[1] and decking, was completed in April 2009.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Work has begun on restoring Dickabram Bridge". Gympie Times. 26 December 2008. http://www.gympietimes.com.au/story/2008/12/26/on-historic-dickabram-bridge/. Retrieved 2010-03-03. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Dickabram Bridge reopens". Queensland Government. April 24, 2009. http://www.cabinet.qld.gov.au/mms/StatementDisplaySingle.aspx?id=63489. Retrieved 2010-03-03. 
3. ^ "Dickabram Bridge". Fraser Coast Online. 9 February 2009. http://www.frasercoastonline.com.au/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=128&Itemid=196. Retrieved 2010-03-03. 

External links

• "Dickabram Bridge (entry AHD15956)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=15956. 
• Dickabram Bridge (Mary River Bridge (Miva)) at Queensland Heritage Register