Friday 25 November 2016

The Burdekin Bridge, Qld.

We went over this bridge many times whilst travelling.  The history is interesting.
A bit of history of The Burdekin Bridge near Ayr, Qld.

The Burdekin Bridge spans the Burdekin River between the towns of Ayr and Home Hill, Queensland, Australia. Located on the Bruce Highway which is part of Highway 1, it is an important link in the national road network.
Originally, it was thought that the bridge could not be built in its present location. No trace of rock could be found on which to build the bridge foundations. In 1946, two high-ranking Government engineers visited India to inspect a number of bridges built on sand foundations. The same technique was used for the Burdekin Bridge and it is the only bridge in  The bridge rests on 11 huge, hollow, concrete caissons sunk into the river bed. The caissons are 17 metres across the top (measured parallel to the stream) and vary in width from 5.5 to 7.6 metres. The caissons were sunk into the river bed to a depth of about 30 metres. Add to that the approximately 20 metres that the caissons rise above the bed and the end result is some very massive pieces of concrete. Each weighs about 4,000 tons. The caissons were fitted with steel "cutting edges" to help them sink. The steel used in the cutting edges weighed 238 tons.
Wikipedia




Came across strawberries growing so had to stop and take a photo.


47 comments:

  1. Crossing bridges always makes me nervous.
    Have a great one.

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    1. Really. I am never concerned crossing a bridge and have been over some not so good ones.

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  2. It is a lovely bridge, and a what a clever solution was used for building it.

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    1. Very clever Rosemary, and it turned out to be a good bridge.

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  3. We don't seem to have the steel bridges that can be seen in NSW and QLD. They are impressive, especially the ones that raise or rotate to let boats pass.

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    1. Bridges to me are always fascinating.
      We a steel bridge that lifts for boats in the southern are of Tasmania.
      The one just before Batemans Bay - just south of Sydney was stuck for a couple of hours on our trip and no other road into Batemans Bay, so there was apparently a long wait...thank goodness it didn't effect us.

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  4. I don't know why but I like pictures of bridges, that said there is a local bridge the Stockton bridge that makes me nervous when we cross it I think it is because it seems high and I am afraid of opened heights but that is just a guess don't really know

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    1. There is just something lovely about bridges, the reflections in the water if there is some, that's usually good.

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  5. These two photos would be good for a project about lines.

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    1. Guess they would..different angles give different lines.

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  6. Nice bridge M. I love that you included thestory of its building. Hugs G xo

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    1. I think it's always good to include a little history, too much and people won't read it.
      Hugs M xox

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  7. Most interesting post--- and i agree with Andy on the lines.

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  8. Great pictures and interesting background. I appreciate them both

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  9. I'm loving these posts...they're bringing back so many memories...of the years I spent living in the North. :)

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  10. My favorite bridge is the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. They also used caissons to build it. It was completed in 1883.

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    1. It's a beautiful bridge viewing the photos of it...would be so much better to see with one's own eyes.

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  11. yes, i like bridges too. some of the history is very interesting. i always remember a film we saw at school about the first bridge in tassie which also could have been the first bridge in australia but i'm not sure about that. i can't remember where it is but the story that went with it was very interesting. built by convicts of course. hope you are well Margaret.

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    1. https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/richmond there you go :)

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    2. Doing fine thanks F. Hope you are ok..
      Thanks for the link, I thought it was a Richmond Bridge here in Tasmania..fantastic bridge and I have many photos taken of it somewhere.
      I believe Richmond bridge was the first built in Australia..
      Amazing what we remember what we were taught at school.

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    3. John, it certainly is a great work of art.

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  12. That's a fine looking bridge and the strawberries look promising too.

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  13. Nice bridge, love the geometric in this photo. And in the second photo there are really a lots of strawberries.
    Happy weekend. Margaret.

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    1. Happy weekend to you too..
      There were other strawberries growing, lots around that area.

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  14. Extraordinary perspectives, especially in the first image, with that structure of iron which shows different geometric shapes.

    Kisses

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  15. very informative post.. came to know about the engineering technology used behind the bridge ...
    Please visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com

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    1. There was no other way to go from point A to point B unless a bridge could be built, so it's good that it all came together to save a rather long detour.

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  16. I can fully imagine that people were surprised and very happy when they saw the complete shape of the bridge after its long and hard construction. I love strawberries.

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  17. I'm sure they would have been so happy - love strawberries.

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  18. Interesting facts about the bridge. Great photos. I wonder where those strawberries end up. The ones I buy in supermarkets are not the best.

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    1. goodness only know where they go...there was another paddock next to that one.

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  19. Thank you for such a detailed visit of the very beautiful bridge. Through this wonderful photo I can see how marvellous is this.
    If you read in the history my country Pakistan and India were known as one country until 1947 when Pakistan get separated.
    Are near my town has an oldest bridge built by British when they ruled here .
    Your post provoked me to share this bridge with you some day after story ends on my blog.

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    1. I'll look forward to seeing your bridge..i had forgotten that history of the two countries. thanks for the reminder.

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  20. Bridges are wonderful structures aren't they ...
    So are strawberries especially if served with double (heavy) cream. Yum!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Sound good to have cream but at home we don't with strawberries :)
      Always like bridges, it forever amazes me how they built them.

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