The 7 longest bridges in Australia are:
- The Macleay Bridge
- The Sydney Harbour Bridge
- The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge
- The Story Bridge
- Sea Cliff Bridge
- Algebuckina Bridge
- Webb Bridge
Discover more about Australia’s 7 longest bridges below!
1. The Macleay Bridge, NSW
Key facts:
Length: 3.2 km
Location: Fredrickton, NSW
Project: The Kempsey Bypass Project
Designed by: Abigroup
Australia’s longest road bridge, the Macleay, spans the floodplain at Frogmore and the Macleay River at Fredrickton, totalling over 3km in length. It’s part of the Kempsey Bypass Project, the first stage in the approved 40km highway upgrade from Kempsey to Eungai. The project was 10 years in the making from 2003-2013, the bypass alone costing $618 million to the Australian government. The bridge, a 20-minute drive south of Kempsey, NSW, features three automobile lanes, a shielded footpath and 941 concrete beams. It was built instead of an on-ground road to avoid the seasonal flooding that plague the farms below.
2. The Sydney Harbour Bridge, NSW
Key facts:
Length: 1.149km
Location: Sydney, NSW
Project: Sydney Harbour Bridge and Metropolitan Railway Construction
Designed by: Dorman Long
After 20 years of planning and eight years of building, the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened to the public in 1932. It used 95,000 cubic metres of concrete, 17,000 cubic metres of granite, 52,800 tonnes of steelwork and around 6 million rivets and 1400 workers in construction. It sits 130m above the water at its highest point, where tourists and climbers look out at the opera house and the city centre and call it ‘The Coathanger,’ after its shape.
3. The Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge, NSW
Key facts:
Length: 785m
Location: Brooklyn, NSW
Project: Hawkesbury River Rail Bridge and Long Island Group
Designed by: Keith 'Mick' King
Opening in 1886, the Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge was the final link in the rail network between South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It was replaced by the new Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge in 1946. Until the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge was the longest colonial bridge in Australia.
4. The Story Bridge, QLD
Key facts
Length: 777m
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Project: The Jubilee Bridge Project
Designed by: John Bradfield
Called the Jubilee Bridge until erected, the Story Bridge was named after John Douglas Story, who contributed to the construction of UQ St. Lucia, Somerset Dam and the Story Bridge itself. It has connected the Brisbane CBD, Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley since its completion in 1940, during the Great Depression. It took 5 years and 400 hundred men to erect the bridge, but after the dangerous labor, it helped to alleviate traffic congestion at the Victoria Bridge… for those willing to pay the toll.
5. Sea Cliff Bridge, NSW
Key facts:
Length: 665m
Location: Clifton, NSW
Project: Lawrence Hargrave Drive Bridge
Designed by: Maunsell Australia and Coffey Geosciences
Opening in 2005, the Sea Cliff Bridge makes up 665m of the 140km Grand Pacific Drive from Sydney to Wooloongong. Specifically, it constitutes part of the Lawrence Hargrave Drive, running along coastal cliffs. On the Illawarra escarpment grows a collection of ‘love locks,’ engraved padlocks that celebrate a moment of love.
6. Algebuckina Bridge, SA
Key facts:
Length: 578m
Location: Allandale Station, SA
Project: Extension of the Great Northern Railway
Designed by: Lion Foundry at Kilkenny SA
The Algebuckina Bridge is the longest single bridge in South Australia at 578m long. After the highway that predated it flooded repeatedly in monsoon season, the Lion Foundry at Kilkenny opened the Algebuckina Bridge to the public above flood levels in 1892. No trains cross the Neale River with the Algebuckina Bridge anymore, but it remains standing.
7. Webb Bridge, VIC
Key facts:
Length: 225m
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Project: The Webb Dock rail link
Designed by: Robert Owen and Denton Corker Marshall
Built in 2003 as part of the Webb Dock rail link, the Webb Bridge crosses the Yarra River in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct. It was built with materials salvaged from the pre-existing Webb Dock Rail Bridge in a redesign for pedestrians and cyclists to use to cross from the north and south sides of the city. It has two sections: the 145m-long pre-existing structure and the 80m ramp.
