Zig Zag Bridge, Kew

Zig Zag Bridge, Kew
Coordinates	37.79591°0′0″S 145.0179°0′0″E / 37.79591°S 145.01790°E / -37.79591; 145.01790
Carried	Tramway, Pipeline and Pedestrians
Crossed	Yarra River
Locale	Melbourne, Australia
Characteristics
Design	Howe Truss, North American softwood (Oregon)
Total length	238 metres (781 ft) including viaduct
Width	3.6 metres (12 ft)}
Longest span	40 metres (130 ft)
History
Opened	1864 (Tramway Bridge) (1864 (Tramway Bridge))
Rebuilt	1891 (Pedestrian Bridge) (1891 (Pedestrian Bridge))
Demolished	1929 (1929)
Location

Zig Zag Bridge, Kew crossed the Yarra River, five kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia connecting Kew and Fairfield.

Initially it began as a tramway bridge for the construction of Kew Asylum, however, a bridge in this location served several purposes over the next 65 years.

To assist with the building of Kew Asylum, a tramway was established by John Young (building contractor) to connect the bluestone quarries at Yarra Bend to the enormous building project in Kew.^[1]

On the Yarra, a Howe truss bridge was formed as a single span across the water. It was an American bridge design and potentially unusual for 1864 Melbourne. ^[2]

For a period of time, the tramway bridge also carried the first town water supply to Kew Asylum.

Following the construction of the Fairfield Pipeline Bridge (1879), the piping element on the tramway bridge became redundant. It was soon removed from the bridge. ^[3]

The 'Great Flood' of 1891 brought significant damage to the already deteriorating bridge. The bridge was removed and replaced by a new design in early 1892.

Designed by the Public Works Department, the new bridge was solely for the movement of pedestrians between two institutions - Yarra Bend Asylum and Kew Asylum although it may have also been used by residents of Collingwood. ^[4]

The multiple flights of stairs and changes of direction in the new design resulted in the epithet "Zig Zag Bridge". Alterations occurred in 1910.

After being heavily damaged by the flood of 1923, the final dismantling of the bridge seems to have occurred in 1929.

Subsequent repurposing, landscaping, and construction has removed almost all traces of the bridge and the original tramway. ^[5]

In 1990, a government document - The Middle Yarra Concept Plan - detailed a rationale for revival.

In this report, the formation of a “Yarra River Trail” was proposed to run from the Fairfield Pipeline bridge to Collins Bridge (Gipps Street). The trail helped necessitate a link between the Kew and Yarra Bend banks.

The report stated that a brand new bridge “would replace a historic bridge known as the Zig Zag bridge which was swept away by floodwaters. It should be constructed above the 1% flood level so that it would withstand flood flows without impeding them”.^[6]

On Map 20 and 22, a brand new “Zig Zag Bridge” was indicated about 250 metres upstream from its original location. The idea was to provide “limited access across the river” – “pedestrians and bicycles”. ^[7]