The river gives up its secrets to those who seek them. In this case, the abutments of the oldest crossing into Goulburn, dating back to 1843, can be clearly seen in the Mulwaree River, near the Old Goulburn Brewery. Historian Tom Bryant took us for a special look back into our past.
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Bridges are the skeletons on which towns are built.
Ever since Colonial times, bridges have provided access to Goulburn and allowed commerce and trade here to thrive.
There are still remnants of Goulburn's earliest bridges around the Mulwaree and Wollondilly Rivers, but you have to look for them.
One of Goulburn's earliest bridges is located near the Old Goulburn Brewery.
It is now covered by weeds and blackberry bushes but its abutments are it still clearly visible in the Mulwaree River, when you get down to it.
Goulburn historian Tom Bryant has done much research on Goulburn's old bridges, including this one.
Mr Bryant said this bridge, which was built in 1843, was the main crossing into the town until 1854, when the original wooden Fitzroy Bridge was built at the northern entrance to Goulburn.
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"The original road came from the Towrang Stockade through the valley behind Mt Gray, around where the (current) Rifle Range and Rosemont Roads are. That road snaked its way around Lansdowne Estate and over this 1843 bridge," Mr Bryant said.
"It was built by Owen Gorman, who was the last Superintendent of the Towrang Stockade (a convict settlement), when the stockade closed," Mr Bryant said.
"He probably built it using convict labour. This bridge served the town until 1878, when a second bridge was built upstream, on the same site as the current Lansdowne Bridge."
This 1878 bridge was then replaced in 1902 by the wooden Lansdowne Bridge, which has only recently been demolished to make way for the new concrete bridge.
Whether or not a building near later Lansdowne Bridge was a toll keeper's hut has not been verified. There was a cottage there, until at east 1954, but it has since been demolished.
Mr Bryant said the original 1843 bridge remained in use as a secondary crossing right up until the mid 1930s.
"A newspaper report of the time says that when they were going to build the 1902 bridge they needed a byroad. So they put some of the decking from the demolished 1878 bridge back on the 1843 stone abutments to make this byroad," he said.
"This is why there was decking on this old 1843 bridge as late as 1935.
"I believe they used that old crossing for some time to get the stock across the river, rather than take them across the bridge."
Goulburn Mulwaree Mayor Bob Kirk has inspected the remnants of the early bridge. There are some thoughts about putting a possible viewing platform nearby. Mr Bryant's book, A History of the Lansdowne Bridge 1833-2019 is available from St Clair History Museum, or from him direct on 4821 8863.
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David Cole
Journalist at the Goulburn Post
Journalist at the Goulburn Post
