KINGS BRIDGE, BENDIGO CREEK

The Kings Bridge over Bendigo Creek, a two-span Monier concrete arch bridge constructed by Monash & Anderson for the City of Bendigo and built between 1901-02. The original 1902 bridge comprises the two lanes and pedestrian walkway to the north. The bridge was extended by two lanes to the south in 2004. The northern side retains the original balustrade being a lattice of wrought iron flats between masonry end posts. 

 The Kings Bridge, Bendigo Creek is of historical and technological significance to the State of Victoria. It satisfies the following criterion for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register: 
Criterion A Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history. 
Criterion F Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. 
Criterion H Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history. 

 

The Kings Bridge, Bendigo Creek is historically significant for its ability to demonstrate the development of reinforced concrete bridges in Victoria. The Kings Bridge is one of eight Monier arch bridges built in Bendigo between 1900 and 1902 as part of the city's urban improvement strategy to manage flooding at the Bendigo Creek. The Monier Arch bridges reflect the change from predominantly masonry or timber bridges to reinforced concrete road bridges in Victoria. The failure of the first King's Bridge was an early lesson in the application of Monier arch bridges which demonstrated the limitations of the original bridge design. 

 

The Kings Bridge, Bendigo Creek is technically significant as an example of the Monier concrete arch bridges constructed by Monash & Anderson. The failure of the first bridge under load testing enabled engineers to better understand the structural problems of extremely skewed bridges. The construction of the midstream pier represents a resourceful response to the problems of the site following the failure of the firm's attempted single span bridge across Bendigo Creek in 1901, which had pushed the boundaries of new approaches to the design and construction of reinforced concrete bridges. 

 

The Kings Bridge, Bendigo Creek is significant for the active involvement of Sir John Monash in its design and construction, and the important role that it, and the first failed attempt at this bridge, played in the development of his career and engineering technology.