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Wollaston Suspension Bridge

Location Wollaston Road, WARRNAMBOOL VIC 3280 - Property No B1706 File Number B1706 Level State

[1/1] B1706 Wollaston Suspension

Statement of Significance

The Wollaston Cable Suspension bridge at Warrnambool was erected across the Merri River in 1890 to facilitate access to the Wollaston Estate of Sir Walter Manifold.
The design and construction of this bridge, which consists of a timber deck and superstructure suspended from steel cables anchored across square tapered stone towers to approach abutments, is attributed to Warrnambool contractor D Dobson.
The Wollaston Bridge is one of the most important cable suspension bridges erected in Victoria in the nineteenth century. The bridge, which was privately funded by noted district pastorialist and public figure, Sir Walter Manifold, has sucessfully withstood the ravages of successive floods since 1890 and survives as a sophisticated engineering structure of remarkable span and noteworthy aesthetic quality.
In 1967, the Wollaston Bridge was replaced by a new reinforced concrete structure located adjacent. The Cable suspension bridge is maintained in good condition..