#1 STONEY CREEK FALLS BRIDGE, QLD 

A scenic railway route snakes from Cairns to Kuranda through the diverse rainforest topography of the Wet Tropics. Here, the Stoney Creek Falls Bridge curves around an 80m stretch with a backdrop of a cascading waterfall flowing into the creek below. 

#1 STONEY CREEK FALLS BRIDGE, QLD 

Work on Stoney Creek Bridge began in 1886 to connect Cairns with the mining centre of Herberton. Now used as a scenic railway for visitors and locals alike, a tourist train travels across it as well as through 15 tunnels passing multiple gorges, rivers, and waterfalls.

#2 SEA CLIFF BRIDGE, NSW 

A 665m-long marvel of engineering, the winding Sea Cliff Bridge is one of the scenic highlights of the 140km Grand Pacific Drive between Sydney and Wollongong. Opening in 2005, just 60km south of Sydney, the bridge forms part of Lawrence Hargrave Drive that runs along the coastal cliffs. The construction was complex, and required great accuracy to get the balance of the bridge’s curvature correct. Now it stands as a sentinel overlooking the ocean, attracting visitors who come to take in its spectacular view and catch glimpses of migrating whales. 

#2 SEA CLIFF BRIDGE, NSW 

These are ‘love locks’: padlocks engraved with names, dates or messages that mark a union, a birth, a death – even just a special day – and are then attached to a public structure, such as a fence, a gate or a bridge. The custom has mysterious origins, which can be traced back to ancient China, although this latest incarnation sprang up in eastern Europe in the 1980s. Now a new collection is adding its weight to the Sea Cliff Bridge, on the Illawarra escarpment, 60km south of Sydney, NSW.

#3 STORY BRIDGE, QLD

Brisbane’s skyline would be incomplete without the backdrop of Story Bridge. One of the city’s icons, it connects the CBD, Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley. The bridge was named after John Douglas Story who served on the board that constructed the University of Queensland at St Lucia, built Somerset Dam and erected the badly-needed river crossing. Officially opening in 1940, the bridge was controversially built during the Great Depression, and required users to pay a toll. It was widely and somewhat bitterly rumoured that this wouldn’t end for many years. However, World War II brought in thousands of Americans to Brisbane and they used Story Bridge daily. As a result the cost of the bridge was covered in full by 1947. 

#3 STORY BRIDGE, QLD

This year the city of Brisbane celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Story Bridge, which opened on 6 July 1940. Construction on the bridge began in 1935, during the Great Depression. The aim was to create jobs and help alleviate traffic congestion at the Victoria Bridge, the only inner-city crossing at the time. The dangerous, backbreaking labour – as seen in this 1937 photograph from the State Library of Queensland’s George Jackman Collection – was carried out by 400 men. They worked inwards from opposite banks of the Brisbane River and eventually met in the middle.

#4 HAWKESBURY RIVER RAILWAY BRIDGE 

Overcoming the challenging conditions of the estuarine environment, the Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge is considered a landmark of engineering. It opened in 1886, and was the final link joining a rail network between South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. It was also the largest colonial bridge until the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932. It was supposed to last more than 200 years, but instead only stood for 60, due to design and construction faults. It was demolished in 1946 after a similar but mechanically sound bridge was constructed beside it. 

#5 HAMPDEN BRIDGE, NSW

Victorian era (1834-1901) Hampden Bridge can be found in the township of Kangaroo Valley, NSW. The bridge was built in 1898 and is the only surviving wooden suspension bridge from this time. Constructed from local hardwood and sandstone, the bridge is immediately recognisable from its medieval-style sandstone towers. These are an example of the Gothic Revival architecture popular in late nineteenth-century Australia. It is a gateway into Kangaroo Valley’s beautiful forests and wildlife corridors, and was once part of the route connecting Sydney and the South Coast of New South Wales. Most importantly however this elaborate construction connected north and south Kangaroo Valley, which had developing almost independently on opposite sides of the river.  

#6 WEBB BRIDGE, VIC 

Built in 2003, Webb Bridge was designed by architects Denton Corker Marshall and artist Robert Owen. It crosses the Yarra River in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct. 

#6 WEBB BRIDGE, VIC

The bridge was constructed in early 2000s using pre-existing sections of the Webb Dock Rail Bridge. It was redesigned to link pedestrians and cyclists from the Docklands on the north-side to the new residential developments on the south-side. The brief was to use the existing rail bridge and so the current bridge comprises two sections: the 145m-long pre-existing structure and a 80m-long curved ramp. 

#6 WEBB BRIDGE, VIC 

Sculptor Robert Owen, who helped design the bridge, used the eel traps of the Gunditjmara Aboriginal people as inspiration. 

#7 ROSS BRIDGE, TAS

Ross Bridge in central Tasmania, 78km south of Launceston, has a long and fascinating colonial history. Initially, the bridge was crudely constructed in 1822 out of logs and clay with uncemented stone piers. But, it soon began to show signs of stress, and it was announced that a stronger, stone bridge would be built in 1829 by convict labourers. This bridge officially opened in 1836. 

#7 ROSS BRIDGE, TAS 

The arches were heavily decorated with 186 Celtic-inspired carvings by convict and stonemason Daniel Herbert and the bridge is among the most-decorated in the world from the colonial era. However, like many relics of Van Diemen’s Land, the bridge is shrouded in mystery as the meanings of many of the carvings have been lost. 

In 1971 a study suggested the bridge carvings were subversive pagan symbolism and political satire cheekily designed by Herbert. The six centre keystones depict monsters, including a crowned rat-creature clawing a human head, and a strange lion crushing a lamb under its paw (above).   

#8 LENNOX BRIDGE 

Situated in the Blue Mountains, picturesque Lennox Bridge was built in 1833 and was the first arched bridge in NSW. It also remains standing as the oldest stone arch bridge on mainland Australia. Scottish stonemason David Lennox, who designed the bridge, used convict labourers to build it out of local sandstone, completing it after only a year. The design is considered an excellent example of colonial Georgian architecture, and the high proportions of the arch contribute to the haunting aesthetic of the landscape. 

#9 ALEGEBUCKINA BRIDGE, SA

Spanning 578m, the Algebuckina Bridge is the longest single bridge in South Australia. It crosses the Neale River and, while no longer in use, the bridge remains standing. Officially opening for traffic in 1892, this wrought iron structure was constructed by more than 350 men. Interesting, three graves are adjacent to this site; however, only one is marked. It belongs to James Helps – a young prospector who drowned in the river during a flood. You also might catch a glimpse of a rusty 1948 FJ Holden car, which was hit by a train as the driver, who survived, attempted to cross the bridge during a flood.   

#10 SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE, NSW

On Saturday 19 March 19 1932 the day had come. After some 20 years of planning, eight years of building, 95,000 cubic metres of concrete, 17,000 cubic metres of granite, 52,800 tonnes of steelwork and approximately six million rivets, Sydney Harbour’s new bridge was ready for its official opening.

But before New South Wales Premier Jack Lang arrived to cut the ribbon, there was a sudden commotion as one Captain Francis de Groot rode forward on his horse. He was an active member of the New Guard, a strongly pro-monarchy political party, and believed that the bridge should be opened by a member of the Royal Family (or at least the Governor General, the King’s representative in Australia).

Slashing through the ribbon with his sword, de Groot declared the bridge open in the name of “the decent and respectable people of New South Wales”.

#10 SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE, NSW

Sydney Harbour Bridge is a monumental Australian icon that overlooks the Sydney Opera House and city centre. Officially opening in 1932, the bridge took eight years and 1400 men to build, though, tragically, 16 lives were lost during its construction. Now the famous ‘Coathanger’ – 130m above the water at its highest point – is one of Australia iconic sights, attracting tourists and locals alike to climb it and take in the breathtaking view.