The Entrance Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Entrance, New South Wales
The Entrance is a district centre and town of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Wyong Shire local government area. At the 2006 census, The Entrance had a population of 2,632 people....
and The Entrance North on the Central Coast
Central Coast, New South Wales
The Central Coast is an urban region in the Australian state of New South Wales, located on the coast north of Sydney and south of Lake Macquarie....
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, 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...
, passing over The Entrance Channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
. The road forms part of Wilfred Barret Drive.
The Entrance Bridge was originally a wooden single lane bridge
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...
with bypass bays at intervalas that allowed traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
travelling in the opposite direction to pass. It was opened in 1934. The original bridge was adequate until 1965 as it only served traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
travelling as far as The Entrance North.
Around 1955, the Number 11 bus operated by Red Bus Services crashed through a wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
and landed in The Entrance Channel
Channel (geography)
In physical geography, a channel is the physical confine of a river, slough or ocean strait consisting of a bed and banks.A channel is also the natural or human-made deeper course through a reef, sand bar, bay, or any shallow body of water...
after its brake
Brake
A brake is a mechanical device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes....
s failed while turning onto The Entrance Bridge. The driver
Bus driver
A bus driver, bus operator or omnibus driver is a person who drives buses professionally. Bus drivers typically drive their vehicles between bus stations or stops. They often drop off and pick up passengers on a predetermined route schedule. In British English a different term, coach drivers, is...
and three passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s were uninjured, although the boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
that the bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
landed on was heavily damaged.
In 1965, Wilfred Barret Drive was opened by the Deputy Premier
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, the Hon. Pat Hills. The road was named after Counciller Wilfred Barret who was a member of the first Wyong Shire Council
Wyong Shire Council
Wyong Shire is located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney. Wyong Shire's administrative centre is located in the town of Wyong, and the Council maintains service and information centres at The Entrance, Tuggerah and at Lakehaven Shopping Centre...
. The road continues to be an important link between The Entrance
The Entrance, New South Wales
The Entrance is a district centre and town of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Wyong Shire local government area. At the 2006 census, The Entrance had a population of 2,632 people....
and Toukley
Toukley, New South Wales
Toukley is a town in the Central Coast region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies approximately 107 km north of Sydney via the F3 freeway. It is located between Tuggerah Lake, Budgewoi Lake, and the Pacific Ocean. The town is within the area of the Wyong Shire...
, passing through Wyrrabalong National Park
Wyrrabalong National Park
Wyrrabalong National Park is located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. It was added in 1991. The park consists of two main sections. The northern section consists of approximately 480 hectares and covers a substantial area of the peninsula between The Entrance and Norah Head as...
.
By the end of 1965 the bridge was dangerous and too costly to maintain. The traffic flow over the old bridge at The Entrance increased to such an extent the structure was under constant repair. Work began on the current two lane, concrete structure on 17 July 1967 after a successful tender by Transbridge Pty Ltd. The bridge was opened to traffic on 20 December 1968 and officially opened by the Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
, the Hon. Robert Askin
Robert Askin
Sir Robert William Askin GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971...
on 18 April 1969.