Galston Gorge

Where   : Galston, New South Wales
When    : 10-20am, Tuesday 20th November 2007
Weapon : Panasonic Lumix TZ3

This bridge is some 112 years old, and located at the bottom of the Galston Gorge and is sometimes referred to as Tunk's or Pearce's Creek Bridge. This is wild and rugged, steep and heavily timbered mountainous country, with the typical local topography featured with challenging vertical bands of Hawksbury Sandstone outcrops.

The bridge is as originally designed and constructed, a single lane, all-timber bridge without any steel or iron supports, planking or metal components other than nails and bolts.

It's known as a "McDonald timber truss road bridge", used extensively in New South Wales because of the high quality of local hardwoods and the shortage of steel during the early decades of settlement.

This crossing over Tunk's (Pearce's) Creek is a rare example of a 65' 19.96m truss span. It was designed and built by John McDonald for the NSW Public Works Department in 1893 - 1894 at a cost of 295 Pounds, and consists of a single span supported at each end on timber abutments which also retain the road earthworks. The bridge width is 4.57m (15ft) between kerbs and at both ends the approach road turns sharply at right angles.