Crossings of the Yarra River

A map of the Yarra River and its tributaries

The Yarra River is a river in southern Victoria, Australia that flows through the city of Melbourne. Over the river's 242-kilometre (150 mi) length there are many structures that bridge the river.

## Crossings

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The following is a partial list of structures have spanned the Yarra River in order of closest to the mouth of the river in Hobsons Bay.[1][2][3][4]

Name | Image | Type | Height | Year built | Location | Details

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- |  | Transmission Line |  |  | Spotswood/Port Melbourne | Transmits from Newport Power Station.
Spotswood sewer tunnel |  | Sewer |  | 1895 | Flooded in 1895 during construction, six deaths
West Gate Bridge |  | Freeway | 53 m (174 ft) | 1978 | Second longest bridge in Australia.
- |  | Transmission Line | 56 m (184 ft) | - | Docklands/Port Melbourne | Connects to Fishermans Bend Terminal
Bolte Bridge |  | Tollway | 25 m (82 ft) | 1999 | Tower height 140 m (460 ft)
Webb Bridge |  | Pedestrian | - | 1986 | Docklands | Originally built as part of the Webb Dock rail link, had rails removed in the late 1990s, and reconstructed at the south end in 2004 as a pedestrian bridge as part of Docklands precinct.
Charles Grimes Bridge |  | Primary Arterial Road | 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) | 1975 | First bridge built in 1975, reconstructed in 2001.
Seafarers Bridge |  | Shared - pedestrians and cyclists | - | 2009 | World Trade Centre/Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre |
Spencer Street Bridge |  | Primary Arterial Road/Tram/Pedestrian | 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) | 1930 | Melbourne/Southbank |
King Street Bridge |  | Primary Arterial Road/Pedestrian | 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) | 1961 | Southern end offramps altered 1997 for the development of Crown Casino.
Queens Bridge |  | Major Road/Tram | 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in – 9 ft 10 in) | 1889 | Originally the site of a timber footbridge built in 1860.
Sandridge Bridge |  | Railway (Disused) | - | 1888 | First bridge built 1853, second bridge built 1858, current bridge built 1888. Former rail bridge for the Port Melbourne and St Kilda railway lines, first rail crossing of the Yarra, converted to pedestrian use in 2006.
Evan Walker Bridge |  | Pedestrian | - | 1992 | Renamed in 2015 in honour of Evan Walker[5]
Princes Bridge |  | Major Road/Tram | - | 1888 | First bridge built 1844, second bridge built 1850, current bridge built 1888.
Swan Street Bridge |  | Primary Arterial Road | - | 1952 | Melbourne |
Burnley Tunnel |  | Tollway | N/A | 1997 | Eastbound CityLink tunnel from Southbank to Burnley
Domain Tunnel |  | Westbound CityLink tunnel from Southbank to Richmond
Morell Bridge |  | Pedestrian | - | 1899 | Former roadway closed when CityLink built, now pedestrian bridge
Hoddle Bridge |  | Primary Arterial Road | - | 1938 | Cremorne | Former punt river crossing site, now carries Hoddle Highway.
Cremorne Railway Bridge |  | Railway | - | 1946 | Cremorne/South Yarra | Carries Sandringham, Frankston, Pakenham and Cranbourne railway lines. First bridge built in 1860, current bridge built 1946
Church Street Bridge |  | Road/Tram | - | 1923 | Richmond/South Yarra | First bridge built in 1857, current bridge built 1923
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | 1st of 5 crossings of the same line
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | Burnley/Toorak | 2nd of 5 crossings of the same line
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | 3rd of 5 crossings of the same line
MacRobertson Bridge |  | Primary Arterial Road | - | 1934 | First crossing was a punt opened in 1880, current bridge built 1934
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | 4th of 5 crossings of the same line
Heyington Bridge |  | Railway/Pedestrian | - | - | Glen Waverley railway line
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | 5th of 5 crossings of the same line
Gardiners Creek Bridge |  | Pedestrian | - | - |
Monash Freeway |  | Road | - | 1960s | Forced relocation of the Yarra River
Swan Street |  | Road, trams | - | - | Burnley/Hawthorn |
Hawthorn Railway Bridge |  | Rail | - | 1861 | Alamein, Belgrave & Lilydale lines
Hawthorn Bridge |  | Road, trams | - | 1861 | Richmond/Hawthorn | Originally built in 1861, widened in 1890, renovated in 1931
Victoria Bridge |  | Road, trams | - | 1884 | Richmond/Kew | Originally built in 1884, widened in 1890, strengthened and widened in 1915, reconditioned and further widened in 1933
Walmer Street Footbridge |  | Footbridge | - | 1892 | Abbotsford/Kew | First bridge built in 1891; was washed away one month after construction. Current bridge: Whipple truss design.
Collins Bridge |  | Footbridge | - | - |
Johnston Street Bridge |  | Road | - | 1858 | Burnley/Hawthorn |
Kane's Bridge, Studley Park |  | Footbridge | - | 1928 | Fairfield/Kew | The original bridge opened in 1928 to link Kew with the public golf course in Fairfield. It was destroyed by the 1934 flood. The current single-span suspension bridge was built in 1935. The suspension towers on either side are timber trestles, constructed of undressed log posts. The deck is suspended from steel tensioned cables hung from the towers, and has timber cross-patterned balustrading.
Zig Zag Bridge, Kew |  | Former Tramway / Footbridge (Demolished) | - | 1864 - 1929 | Fairfield/Kew | Originally built by John Young to transport stone for the building of Kew Asylum. Later a pedestrian connection between Yarra Bend Asylum and Kew Asylum. Repaired in 1877. Rebuilt in 1891. Alterations in 1910 and 1926. Demolished in 1929. Earmarked for rebuilding but so far never replaced. Located in the vicinity of Bellbird Picnic Area.
Eastern Freeway |  | Road | - | 1977 | Fairfield/Kew | Effectively two concrete road bridges - one for each direction of traffic. Each bridge contains 4 - 5 lanes of traffic. The construction of the Eastern Freeway forced the relocation of the Yarra River.
Fairfield Pipe Bridge |  | Pipeline/Footbridge | - | 1878 | Fairfield/Kew | The original bridge was built in 1878 to carry water from the Yan Yean Reservoir to Kew. Washed away in the floods of 1934. A new pipe bridge was built close to the site. The pylons of the original bridge were later demolished and no signs remain of the first pipe bridge.
Chandler Bridge |  | Pedestrian (Former Railway / Former Road) | - | 1890, 2019 | Alphington/Kew | The six lane bridge carrying the Chandler Highway was opened in 2019; the original 1890 bridge carried the Outer Circle railway and now carries pedestrians and cyclists.
Footbridge |  | Main Yarra Trail | - | - | Ivanhoe/Kew East |
Burke Road |  | Road | - | - |
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | Bulleen | 1st of 8 crossings in Bulleen of the same line
Banksia Street |  | Road | - | - | Heidelberg/Bulleen |
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | Lower Plenty/Templestowe Lower | 7th of 8 crossings of the same line
Odyssey House / Finns Reserve |  | Footbridge | - | - |
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | 8th of 8 crossings of the same line
Westerfolds Park |  | Footbridge, Main Yarra Trail | - | - |
Fitzsimons Lane |  | Road | - | - | Eltham/Templestowe |
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - | Separate line joining the above-mentioned line
- |  | Footbridge | - | - |
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - |
Warrandyte Bridge |  | Road | - | 1952 | Warrandyte/North Warrandyte | First bridge built 1861, current bridge built in 1952.
The Heritage Golf Club |  | Road | - | - | Christmas Hills/Chirnside Park |
- |  | Transmission Line | - | - |
- |  | Private road | - | - |
Healesville railway |  | Rail | - | - | Yering |
Melba Highway |  | Road | - | - |
Proposed Melba Highway bypass |  | Road | - | - |
Maxwells Road |  | Road | - | - | Coldstream/Healesville |
Maroondah Highway |  | Road | - | - |
Healesville - Koo Wee Rup Road |  | Road | - | - | Launching Place |
Former Healesville - Koo Wee Rup Road |  | Road | - | - |
Don Road |  | Road | - | - |
- |  | Private road | - | - |
Station Road |  | Road | - | - | Wesburn |
Dee Road |  | Road | - | - | Millgrove |
McKenzie-King Drive |  | Road | - | - |
Mayer Bridge |  | Road | - | 1993 | Warburton | Connects Warburton Highway to Dammans Road. Officially re-opened 30 May 1993 by Councillor Pat Hunter, Shire President.
Swing Bridge |  | Footbridge | - | - | Connects Story Reserve to Dammans Road.
Brisbane Bridge |  | Road | - | - | Connects Warburton Highway to Dammans Road
Bramich Footbridge |  | Footbridge | - | 1993 | Officially re-opened 30 May 1993 by Councillor Pat Hunter, Shire President.
Redwood Bridge |  | Footbridge | - | 2000 | Completed March 2000. Constructed by 22 Construction Regiment, 4 Combat Engineer Regiment and members of the Warburton Advancement League
Signs Bridge |  | Road | - | - | Where the Warburton Highway crosses the Yarra River in Warburton
Woods Point Road |  | Road | - | - | East Warburton |
Hazelwood Road |  | Road | - | - |
Cement Creek Road |  | Road | - | - |
O'Shannassy Reservoir |  | Access road | - | - |
Peninsula Road |  | Road | - | - | McMahons Creek | Culvert crossing dry river bed drained by Big Peninsula Tunnel
Big Peninsula Tunnel walking track |  | walking track | - | - | Concrete stepping stones
Woods Point Road |  | Road | - | - | Reefton |
Upper Yarra Dam |  | Dam | - | 1957 |

* There are also a number of ferries that cross the Yarra at various points such as the West Gate Ferry and Herring Island Punt.

## See also

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* Victoria portal
* Engineering portal

* Geography of the Yarra River

## References

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1. ^ Melway, Edition 35, 2008
2. ^ "Boroondara info on Chandler Bridge". Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
3. ^ "Darebin info on the Chandler Bridge". Archived from the original on 6 September 2006.
4. ^ Anderson, J. T. Noble (October 1934). "Metropolitan Roads and Bridges" (PDF). Journal of Institution of Engineers Australia. 6: 359–360\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
5. ^ "Bridge honours Evan Walker". Southbank Local News. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2017.

## External links

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* Collection of photos of bridges over the Yarra River

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* t
* e

Crossings of the Yarra River in Melbourne

* Bolte Bridge
* Burke Road Bridge
* Burnley Tunnel
* Chandler Highway Bridges
* Charles Grimes Bridge
* Church Street Bridge
* Collins Bridge
* Cremorne Railway Bridge
* Darebin Creek Trail Footbridge
* Diamond Creek Trail Footbridge
* Domain Tunnel
* Eastern Freeway Bridges
* Evan Walker Bridge
* Fairfield Pipe Bridge
* Fitzsimons Lane Bridge
* Gardiners Creek Trail Footbridge
* Hawthorn Bridge
* Hawthorn Railway Bridge
* Heyington Rail Bridge
* Hoddle Bridge
* Johnston Street Bridge
* Kanes Bridge
* King Street Bridge
* MacRobertson Bridge
* Manningham Road Bridge
* Monash Freeway
* Morell Bridge
* Princes Bridge
* Queens Bridge
* Ruffey Trail Suspension Bridge
* Sandridge Bridge
* Seafarers Bridge
* Spencer Street Bridge
* Spotswood sewer tunnel
* Swan Street Bridge
* Swan Street/Wallen Road Bridge
* Victoria Bridge
* Walmer Street Footbridge
* Warrandyte Bridge
* Webb Bridge
* West Gate Bridge
* Westerfolds Park Footbridge

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