Algebuckina Bridge

The Algebuckina Bridge is a Victorian era railway bridge in the Australian state of South Australia located about 55 kilometres (34 mi) south-east of the town of Oodnadatta in the locality of Allandale Station on the route of the now-closed Central Australia Railway.[1][2] It opened in January 1892.[3][4][5] It was the longest bridge in South Australia[3][5] until construction of the Seaford suburban rail line across the Onkaparinga River south of Adelaide in 2014.[6]

Algebuckina Bridge
The bridge in 2009
Coordinates27.8993°S 135.8075°E / -27.8993; 135.8075
CarriesRailway (disused)
CrossesNeales River
LocaleAllandale Station, South Australia
Heritage status
Characteristics
MaterialWrought iron
Total length587 metres (1,927 ft)
No. of spans19
History
Construction cost£AU 60,000
Opened8 January 1892 (1892-01-08)
Closed1981
ReplacesSurface level crossing
The bridge from below

The 1,927 feet (587 m)[2] bridge consists of 19 spans[2] of 100 feet (30 m) length and which are of lattice wrought iron construction,[2][3] sitting on cast iron cylindrical piers.[2] It was strengthened in 1926 to allow it to carry heavier trains.[5]

It was built by a team of around 350 men, working in extreme desert heat.[3] Several graves are nearby, and one of them is for David Saunders, who died in January 1890 from “heart disease accelerated by heat apoplexy.”[3][7]

The bridge crosses the floodplain of the Neales River,[5] which is prone to seasonal flooding, and replaced a surface-level railway which was frequently washed away.[3] 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.[3]

The bridge was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate[2] on 28 September 1982 and listed as a state heritage place on the South Australian Heritage Register on 20 November 1986.[2][8]

References
  1. "Search results for 'Allandale Station, LOCB' with the following datasets selected – 'Suburbs and Localities', 'SA Heritage Places' and 'SA Heritage Places Indicative Footprints'". Location SA Map Viewer. Government of South Australian Government. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  2. "Algebuckina Bridge (bridge over the Neales), Marree-Alice Springs Railway, Algebuckina via Oodnadatta, SA, Australia - listing on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate (Place ID 5974)". Australian Heritage Database. Department of the Environment. 28 September 1982. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  3. "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.
  4. "Railway Commissioners' Reports". Adelaide Observer. XLIX (2645). South Australia. 11 June 1892. p. 32. Retrieved 1 June 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Infornmation plaque at the bridge, pictured at http://letsgotravelaustralia.com/algebuckina-bridge-2/
  6. "Seaford rail extension bridges" (PDF). Department of Transport Energy and Infrastructure. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
  7. "Algebuckina on the Oodnadatta Track". Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. "Algebuckina Bridge". SA Heritage Places Database. Government of South Australia. 20 November 1986. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
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