I went for a drive up to the Blue Mountains today and on the way home I noticed a signpost near the small town of Glenbrook pointing to an historical attraction called Lennox Bridge. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to take a detour and see what it was all about.
Turns out it was the first stone bridge ever built in Australia, and the oldest bridge on the mainland still in existence today!
Designed by David Lennox in 1832, it was constructed by convicts and completed the following year, crossing over Brookside Creek, and providing a link between what is now the western-Sydney township of Emu Plains and Glenbrook. It stood part of the main western route for 93 years before the highway was diverted, and its operation continued until the 1950’s when the bridge was closed due to damage caused by over a century of stress from increasingly-heavy vehicular use.
It was eventually restored and opened again for traffic in 1982. Today it can be accessed via the Mitchells Pass tourist drive, and I’m glad I took the turnoff and had the chance to witness this incredible piece of Aussie architecture:
Those locked gates can be very dangerous!
Great photos Dan. Love that first one with the trickle of water flowing through.
Great find!
Nice pics, but oldest bridge in Australia 1832? That honour goes to the bridge at Richmond Tasmania, built 1823
Lennox Bridge/Horseshoe Bridge is actually the second oldest existing bridge in Australia – 1833. Richmond Bridge in Tasmania is the oldest – completed in 1825.
Thanks Tony & Gerard, that’s correct – Lennox Bridge is the oldest existing bridge on mainland Australia, not the whole of Australia.
Actually Australia’s oldest bridge is in Sydney in the royal botanical gardens
Finished June 1816
http://rebelhand.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/did-nicholas-build-the-oldest-bridge-in-australia/
There are several bridges on Mainland Australia older than this one such as Clare’s Bridge, Thomas James Bridge (still in use) and Circuit Flat Bridge to name a few. Whilst Lennox Bridge is a beauty and an old Bridge, it does annoy me that so many people say it’s the oldest bridge in mainland Australia when within 100km of it are around 5 bridges that pre-date it.
Similar bridges at Carcoar are completely ignored by Blayney Council and historians. They deserve to be protected, but no one will listen. Two bridges built near each other and they look like the Lennox Bridge. They are not on the ‘heritage register’ but need to be recognised and conserved before they are totally destroyed by ‘progress’
This is NOT the oldest bridge in Australia
Australia’s oldest bridge is in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. It is small, supported by convict made bricks and was built in 1816.
The Richmond Bridge in Tasmania was built in 1825 and is the oldest stone bridge in Australia. This appears to be the second oldest.
The Lennox Bridge isn’t the oldest bridge in Australia. It even isn ‘t the oldest bridge on the mainland which is a bridge on the Old North Road. near Wisemans Ferry.It is the oldest stone arch bridge on the mainland