Algebuckina Bridge

Algebuckina Bridge
The bridge in 2009
Coordinates 27°53′57″S 135°48′27″E / 27.8993°S 135.8075°E / -27.8993; 135.8075Coordinates: 27°53′57″S 135°48′27″E / 27.8993°S 135.8075°E / -27.8993; 135.8075
Carries Railway (disused)
Crosses Neales River
Locale South Australia
Heritage status
Characteristics
Material Steel
Total length 1,900 feet (580 m)
No. of spans 19
History
Construction cost £AU 60,000
Opened 1892 (1892)
Closed 1981
Replaces Surface level crossing
The bridge from below

The Algebuckina Bridge is a Victorian era railway bridge south-east of Oodnadatta, on the Central Australia Railway in South Australia, and opened in January 1892.[1][2] It was the longest bridge in South Australia until construction of the Seaford suburban rail line across the Onkaparinga River south of Adelaide in 2014.[1][2]

Of lattice steel construction, it comprises 19 spans each 100 feet (30 m) long.[1] It was strengthened in 1926 to allow it to carry heavier trains.[2]

It was built by a team of around 350 men, working in extreme desert heat.[1] Several graves are nearby, and one of them, David Saunders, died in January 1890 from “heart disease accelerated by heat apoplexy.”[1][3]

The bridge crosses the floodplain of the Neales River,[2] which is prone to seasonal flooding, and replaced a surface-level railway which was frequently washed away.[1] After a severe flood in 1974, which almost reached the bridge decks, the line was closed in 1981 and a new route built 100 miles further west.[1]

The bridge is listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate[2] and the South Australian Heritage Register.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Australian Outback". Chris Tarrant: Extreme Railways. Episode 2. 13 December 2012. Channel 5. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Infornmation plaque at the bridge, pictured at http://letsgotravelaustralia.com/tag/algebuckina-bridge/
  3. ↑ "Algebuckina on the Oodnadatta Track". Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.

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