Little Crystal Creek Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Little Crystal Creek Bridge is an arch bridge
over Little Crystal Creek, on Mount Spec Road to Paluma
, North Queensland
, Australia
. The bridge situated 61 km north of Townsville
provides access to the Paluma Range National Park
.
Mount Spec Road including the bridge was constructed between 1930 and 1936 under the Unemployment Relief Scheme during the Great Depression
. The road was constructed in hilly terrain by a large labour force using limited mechanical assistance.
The Little Crystal Creek Bridge comprises a single span arch, constructed of concrete but faced with stone. It spans the Little Crystal Creek Gorge in a picturesque location in Paluma Range National Park. A masonry arch design of the bridge has been recommended by the District Engineer Townsville, from the aesthetic point of view, on 8 June 1931. The variation was approved in January 1932 and the construction completed by June 1933. Wages for four stonemasons employed during the construction of the bridge and "too much work dressing stone", contributed to the excessive cost of the bridge.
It is the only concrete arch road bridge dressed with stone that remains in service in Queensland. Mt Spec Road and Little Crystal Creek Bridge are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
over Little Crystal Creek, on Mount Spec Road to Paluma
Paluma, Queensland
Paluma is a township of around 25 permanent residents in the Mount Spec ranges of Townsville's heritage-listed Wet Tropics. Paluma developed from a mining and forestry background. The first people to arrive here were tin prospectors in the 1870s after an abundance of tin in the mountains. The area...
, North Queensland
North Queensland
North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the state of Queensland in Australia. Queensland is a massive state, larger than most countries, and the tropical northern part of it has been historically remote and undeveloped, resulting in a distinctive regional character and...
, 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...
. The bridge situated 61 km north of Townsville
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
provides access to the Paluma Range National Park
Paluma Range National Park
Paluma Range is a national park located between Ingham and Townsville, in north Queensland, Australia. The park is 1188 km north of Brisbane. The park contains the Jourama Falls, Crystal Creek and Lake Paluma...
.
Mount Spec Road including the bridge was constructed between 1930 and 1936 under the Unemployment Relief Scheme during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The road was constructed in hilly terrain by a large labour force using limited mechanical assistance.
The Little Crystal Creek Bridge comprises a single span arch, constructed of concrete but faced with stone. It spans the Little Crystal Creek Gorge in a picturesque location in Paluma Range National Park. A masonry arch design of the bridge has been recommended by the District Engineer Townsville, from the aesthetic point of view, on 8 June 1931. The variation was approved in January 1932 and the construction completed by June 1933. Wages for four stonemasons employed during the construction of the bridge and "too much work dressing stone", contributed to the excessive cost of the bridge.
It is the only concrete arch road bridge dressed with stone that remains in service in Queensland. Mt Spec Road and Little Crystal Creek Bridge are listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.