The Grafton Bridge - a photo on Flickriver

The Grafton Bridge

The heritage listed Grafton Bridge was finally opened across the wide Clarence River in northern New South Wales in 1932 after five years of construction. While narrow by todays standards and a bit rusty, it still carries two lanes of traffic on the top and a single track of the main Sydney to Brisbane railway on the bottom.

"The Grafton Bridge is a heritage-listed bascule* truss bridge that carries the Bent Street (formerly Summerland Way) and North Coast railway line across the Clarence River in Grafton, New South Wales, Australia. The bridge links the Grafton central business district with South Grafton, and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafton_Bridge_(New_South_Wales)

Because the road has to veer onto the bridge at both ends (and off as the railway goes straight) it has two rather tight bends which can be a bit scary on those narrow lanes for the uninitiated.

The explanation of bascule (hinged lifting bridge) is below. A new four lane bridge complimenting it opened in 2019. I was surprised to see the google earth shot of it was so old, construction had barely started. This New Grafton Bridge is known as the Balun Bindarray Bridge and is a breeze to cross! The lifting section is at the far end near where you can see the little pimple of a control cabin hanging off the side.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bascule_bridge

In the 2022 floods, the river would have risen nearly twenty feet at this location, sheds on the shore near where this shot was taken were basically submerged.

*Bascule bridges have counterbalance weights positioned either in the deck or in overhead balance frames to assist in the lifting operation of the deck. In the Grafton Bridge, one span hinged and counterweighted at the same end basically pivots up meaning there is no height restriction once it is up. This bridge no longer lifts however.

Taken on: August 17, 2023

Tags:

Nikon D850

Grafton, New South Wales

bascule bridge

Clarence River, New South Wales

bridge

river « less

Sets appears in: • Holiday New South Wales 2023 • Sydney and NSW

Groups appears in: • Amateurs • Oz Land (Australia) more » • Nikon World • australian flickr {2 pictures a day} • Trove: Australia in Pictures • Nikon DSLR Users • Australian Photographers • Older Photographers • Flickr Australia • Aussie all over! • Australian Photographers!!!! • Bridges around the world • All interesting shots- NO RULES!!!!!!!!!!!! • Australian Country Towns • Nikon Full Frame Cameras. • My Australia • Project worldwide (pictures of places around the world) • Australia-down-under • "Unlimited Photos: No Rules" • Australia on Flickr • ...Australia... • FlickrCentral With No Posting Limit • Bridges, Bridges, and MORE BRIDGES • Australian Seascapes & Waterways • Nikon Australia • Nikon - The world through my eyes • NSW, Australia • 65 and over (Photographers aged 65 and over) • Old & Aged • flickr every day! • Nikon DSLR Photographers • Nikon Photographers • Flickr No1 Pics • 60+ photographers • Country & Coastal Towns of Australia • Rust Glorious Rust • Life Through A Hole • NSW North Coast, Northern Rivers & New England districts • Australia - Pictures (No 30/60 limit) • Travels With My Camera - Australia • Nikon D850 Official Club ★ • Nikon D850 DSLR • NSW (New South Wales) Unlimited • A PLACE TO VISIT. AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. • Flickr Australia Unlimited (No 30/60 restriction) • PHOTOGRAPHY Worldwide • Australian Cities, Towns & Villages • Flickr Wonders • Australian Photographers over 60 years • All Your Photos and Mine (No 30/60 limit - Photos from anywhere) • Flickr New South Wales (No 30/60 limit) • "All Australian Album" • "Flickr Foto Share" • Photographers of Australia • I N T E R E S T I N G • Down Under Flickr or (Flickr Down Under) • Australian Heritage « less

Stats: 352 views / 6 comments

Link to this photo view:
Link to this photo large view: