Opened on 4th May 1883, the North Bourke Bridge was designed by J H Daniels and modified in 1895 and 1903 by E M de Burgh. The
1895 modifications led to improved designs for subsequent lift-span bridges.
The bridge is the oldest moveable-span bridge in
Australia and is the sole survivor of its type in New South Wales. It is the sole survivor of the first two lift bridges built
in New South Wales (the 1881 Balranald bridge was replaced in 1973 then demolished).
It was an important river crossing on what
is now the busy Mitchell Highway for 114 years before being bypassed in 1997 when a new bridge was built adjacent to it.
When
we visited in 2004 (prior to digital photography) the bridge was ungated, so I was able to walk over it and back. A lovely historic
lift-span bridge worth saving.
The Back O' Bourke Exhibition and Visitor Centre on the Kidman Way (Mitchell Highway) heading north from the town centre, brings
to life the story of Outback New South Wales and the Back O' Bourke.
Take the interactive journey through the early exploration,
the riverboat era, the pastoral industry: discover the poets, the bushrangers, the conflicts and the legends… Wander through time
from our Indigenous beginnings, our European settlement and our outback characters. From Charles Sturt and Major Mitchell to Charles
Bean, Henry Lawson, Captain Starlight, Breaker Morant, Barefoot Harry, Aboriginal Tracker Frank Williams as well as many wonderful
women of the best, such as Nancy Bird Walton.
New South Wales - Back O' Bourke, gateway to the outback
Australia So Much to See
The 1883 North Bourke lift-span bridge crossing the Darling River, with the new bridge almost hidden behind it.
Resources
Signage at sites
Visit NSW – Bourke
Lock and Weir
Visit Bourke – Exhibition Centre
Engineers Australia – North Bourke Bridge
An Eagle's nest high in the branches of a tree overhanging the river (above right).
The present paddle vessel PV Jandra was built by local orchardist Russell Mansell and commissioned in 2000 as a tourist venture; the
first paddle boat to operate on the Darling River in over 60 years. It is roughly a replica of the original paddle steamer PS
Jandra, built in Mannum, South Australia in 1894 for Arthur Senior of Bourke. After the cruise met hard times and ceased operating,
PV Jandra was purchased by the Bourke Shire Council around 2011, who subsidise and operate the Jandra river cruises.
PV
Jandra is diesel powered, weighs 55 tonne sits with only 610 centimetres below the water line, and can turn on its own axis.
There are two one hour cruises daily Monday to Saturday, 9 am and 2.30 pm with a two hour cruise on Sunday from 2 pm, during the tourist
season. Cruises depart from the rear of the large Kidman’s Camp Caravan Park which is 1.5 kilometres along Kidmans Way (Mitchell Highway)
north east from the North Bourke Bridge.
Book your tickets now at the Back O’ Bourke Information and Exhibition
Centre. On board, the Captain will point out flora and fauna and talk about the history of the riverboat era. With capacity
for 100 guests, the boat can also be chartered for private groups and functions.