Zig Zag Bridge, Kew

Bridge in Melbourne, Australia

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
Carries| Tramway and Pedestrians
Crosses| 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 (1864)
Location

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

Over 65 years, a bridge in this location has served multiple purposes initially starting as a tramway bridge for the construction of Kew Asylum.

## Tramway Bridge (1864-1891)

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To assist with the building of Kew Asylum, a tramway was proposed and constructed by John Young (building contractor). It ran between the main building of Kew and the bluestone quarries at Yarra Bend.

At the point the tram crossed the Yarra, a Howe truss bridge spanned the water above the previous flood level. An American bridge design in 1864 Melbourne is considered unusual. [1]

For a period of time, the bridge also carried the first town water supply to Kew Asylum (from Yan Yean Reservoir via Yarra Bend Asylum) instigated by Kew Asylum's second contractor Samuel Amess. The pipeline was made redundant following the construction of the first Fairfield Pipeline Bridge (1879) and the viaduct was subsequently removed. [2]

## Zig Zag Bridge (1892-1929)

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In 1892, the bridge was completely replaced by a new and different structure in the same location.

Designed by the Public Works Department, the new bridge was solely for movement of pedestrians between the two institutions - Yarra Bend Asylum and Kew Asylum although it may have also been used by residents of Collingwood. [3]

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

## Demise

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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. [4]

## Revival

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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). A link between the Kew and Yarra Bend was considered necessary. 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”.

On Map 20 and 22, the brand new “Zig Zag Bridge” was proposed about 250 metres upstream from its original location and providing “limited access across the river” – “pedestrians and bicycles”. [5]

## The Future

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The potential for a new bridge - especially if placed a bit further upstream to avoid the Yarra Bend Golf Course - remains a possibility.

The 4.6 km stretch between Kane’s Bridge and the Pipeline Bridge is the longest distance between pedestrain connections at any location from Port Phillip Bay to Ivanhoe.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kew Mental Hospital Construction Tramway by Colin Harvey. Light Rails. Number 268. August 2019. Pages 29-36
2. ^ Kew Mental Hospital Construction Tramway by Colin Harvey. Light Rails. Number 268. August 2019. Pages 29-36
3. ^ Kew Mental Hospital Construction Tramway by Colin Harvey. Light Rails. Number 268. August 2019. Pages 29-36
4. ^ Kew Mental Hospital Construction Tramway by Colin Harvey. Light Rails. Number 268. August 2019. Pages 29-36
5. ^ Middle Yarra Concept Plan. Department of Planning and Urban Growth

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