Dickabram Bridge
Encyclopedia
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 and the only one in Queensland
. It is the oldest remaining large steel truss bridge constructed in Queensland.
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 span
s 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
.
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 and decking, was completed in April 2009.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
over the Mary River
Mary River (Queensland)
The Mary River is a river system in South East Queensland, Australia. The river rises at Booroobin in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, west of Landsborough...
near Miva, north-west of Gympie
Gympie
Gympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...
in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. 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 and the only one in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It is the oldest remaining large steel truss bridge constructed in Queensland.
The steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
and timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
, 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 span
SPAN
The Saudi Payments Network is the only and major payment system in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It connects all ATM and point of sale terminals throughout the country to a central payment switch which in turn re-routes the financial transactions to the card issuer,...
s 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
Sweet potato
The sweet potato is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting, tuberous roots are an important root vegetable. The young leaves and shoots are sometimes eaten as greens. Of the approximately 50 genera and more than 1,000 species of...
that grew along the river flats there.
The bridge decking was submerged under water only once during the 1893 floods
1893 Brisbane flood
The 1893 Brisbane flood, occasionally referred to as the Great Flood of 1893 or the Black February flood, occurred when the Brisbane River burst its banks on three occasions in February 1893. It is the occurrence of three major floods in the same month that saw the period named "Black February"....
.
The bridge was registered on the Register of the National Estate
Register of the National Estate
The Register of the National Estate is a listing of natural and cultural heritage places in Australia. The listing was initially compiled between 1976 and 2003 by the Australian Heritage Commission. The register is now maintained by the Australian Heritage Council...
in 1988.
The extensive restoration of the bridge, involving replacement of hardwood timber beams and decking, was completed in April 2009.