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QUEENS BRIDGE
QUEENS BRIDGE STREET MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE CITY

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Victorian Heritage Register
QUEENS BRIDGE SOHE 2008
QUEENS BRIDGE SOHE 2008
QUEENS BRIDGE SOHE 2008
h01448 queens bridge queensbridge street over yarra river melbourne distant view
h01448 queens bridge queensbridge street over yarra river melbourne detail
h01448 queens bridge queensbridge street over yarra river melbourne close view
queens bridge over yarra river melbourne plan
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Statement of Significance

What is significant?

Queens Bridge which crosses the Yarra at the southern extension of Market Street, replaced an earlier timber footbridge erected in 1860, known as Falls Bridge. The present structure, named after Queen Victoria, was designed by Frederick M Hynes, the Chief Design Engineer for the "Harbour Jetties and Coast Works Department" of the Public Works Department. The chief contractor for its construction was David Munro, who also erected Princes Bridge, and the Sandridge Railway Bridge over the Yarra River. The bridge was officially opened by the Governor, Lord Hopetoun, on 18 April 1890. Queens Bridge is built in a very flat arch, reflecting the minimal rise and fall of the Yarra River. It is a five span structure constructed of wrought iron continuous plate girders. The bridge rests on iron cylinders filled with concrete, in groups of eight, with arched bracing between. The abutments are built in basalt and Stawell freestone. The bridge has an ornamental cast iron balustrade and a series of inverted foliated consoles beneath the balustrade.

How is it significant?

Queens Bridge is of architectural, aesthetic and historical importance to the State of Victoria.

Why is it significant?

Queens Bridge is of architectural and aesthetic importance for its unusual very flat arch which reflects the minimal rise and fall of the Yarra River. The iron cylinders filled with concrete which support the bridge are architecturally important as an unusual and innovative method of bridge construction. Queens Bridge is of aesthetic importance as an elegant feature on the Yarra River with its contrasting substantial structure and fine detailing. The bridge is an important landmark and is a contributory element in the distinct series of bridges which cross the Yarra within the city vicinity. The bridge represents a notable example of the work of David Munro who was also responsible for the construction of Princes Bridge and Sandridge Railway Bridge and who was a prominent contractor and speculator during Melbourne's boom period of the 1870s and 1880s.

Queens Bridge is of historical and social importance for its role in the early establishment of main thoroughfares in and around the city. A bridge was first built at this location in 1860. These early thoroughfares, and in particular river crossings contributed greatly in forming the shape of the city. The bridge played a significant role in linking port, recreational and industrial facilities with the city, facilitating the economic, suburban and demographic development of Melbourne.

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    • History

      QUEENS BRIDGE - History

      Contextual History:
      In Melbourne punts were operating across the Yarra River at the city and Richmond in the late 1830s. In 1845 the Melbourne Bridge Co. was licensed to build an iron toll bridge below the present site of Princes Bridge, but could only raise enough capital to erect a wooden bridge. The company charged pedestrians crossing the river 1d each; cattle and horses 2d a head; horse and bullock drays 6d; and private carriages 1s each. The significance of such early developments was that they established main arterial routes for all time, regardless of future needs or sound engineering principles. By the time increasing traffic forced government authorities to intervene and build public bridges, the shape of cities and near suburbs had been determined by thousands of private decisions and accidents of fate .

      History of Place:

      Queens Bridge crosses the Yarra at a point where a rocky waterfall originally prevented further navigation upstream. John Batman’s only son was drowned at the age of nine while playing on the rocks. The waterfall prevented the mixing of fresh water with the sea water. This river water above the falls was the only source of fresh water until the establishment of the Yan Yean Reservoir many years later .

      As a result of the increasing amount of vehicular traffic generated from the growing industrial area south of the Yarra, the timber “Falls Bridge” built in 1860 at Queen Street was demolished in 1883 and replaced with a more substantial bridge. The first bridge could also could not stand up to the blasting operations nearby which were carried out to remove a bar in the river .

      Built by David Munro for £44, 242, the plans were prepared by Frederick M. Hynes, the Chief Design Engineer for the “Harbour Jetties and Coast Works Department” of the Public Works Department. The bridge was officially opened to traffic by the Governor, Lord Hopetoun, on 18 April 1890 . David Munro was also the contractor responsible for Princes Bridge and the Sandridge Railway Bridge and was a prominent contractor and speculator during the Melbourne boom period .

      The bridge carried cable trams from South Melbourne until 1937. Electric tram tracks constructed in 1944 went into service in 1946. It was designed to extend 314 feet on five spans, and to be 99 feet wide like the streets of Melbourne, with substantial walkways and a tramway reservation down its centre. The bridge was named after Queen Victoria.

      David Munro

      David Munro, Contractor, (1844 -98) Engineer, speculator, contractor, born in Scotland, came to Victoria in 1854. He worked with his father, John Munro, a blacksmith and contractor, in King Street, Melbourne. Following his father’s insolvency, David started his own engineering and machinery supply business.

      During the construction and railway boom of the 1870s and 1880s David Munro and Co. was one of the colony’s biggest employers of labour. They built the new Prince’s Bridge in 1890 for 45 000 pounds. Other railway contracts included the Fitzroy-Whittlesea Line for 100 000 pounds and the Frankston-Crib Point Line for 53 000 pounds.

      Munro was president of the Chamber of Commerce. He was a brother of James Munro, the notorious “land boomer” and became involved in land speculation himself through his close links with Thomas Bent. Munro and Bent shared the construction of the Nepean Road tramway and were directors in the Brighton Gas Co. Ltd.

      David Munro’s end was a tragic one. By 1889 he was in serious financial difficulties, which involved all members of his family. His losses on contracts amounted to 90 000 pounds. He and his wife moved from their mansion in Kooyong to a small cottage in Parkville where, in March 1898, Munro died of a haemorrhage and alcoholism.
      Associated People: Lord Hopetoun

      Permit Exemptions

      QUEENS BRIDGE - Permit Exemptions

      General Exemptions:

      General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

      Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

      Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

      Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

      Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

      Specific Exemptions:

      EXEMPTIONS FROM PERMITS:
      (Classes of works or activities which may be undertaken without a permit under
      Part 4 of the Heritage Act 1995)

      General Conditions:
      1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner
      which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
      2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of
      alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the
      place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or
      object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the
      Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
      3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive
      Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
      4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending
      or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
      5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the
      responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the
      responsible authority where applicable.

      * No permit required for routine maintenance of Queens Bridge

      * No permit required to replace like with like on Queens Bridge


      Exterior
      * Minor repairs and maintenance which replace like with like.
      * Removal of extraneous items such as air conditioners, pipe work, ducting,
      wiring, antennae, aerials etc, and making good.
      * Installation or repair of damp-proofing by either injection method or
      grouted pocket method.
      * Regular garden maintenance.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of garden watering systems.

      Interior
      * Painting of previously painted walls and ceilings provided that preparation
      or painting does not remove evidence of the original paint or other decorative
      scheme.
      * Removal of paint from originally unpainted or oiled joinery, doors,
      architraves, skirtings and decorative strapping.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of carpets and/or flexible floor
      coverings.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of curtain track, rods, blinds and
      other window dressings.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of hooks, nails and other devices for
      the hanging of mirrors, paintings and other wall mounted artworks.
      * Refurbishment of bathrooms, toilets and or en suites including removal,
      installation or replacement of sanitary fixtures and associated piping,
      mirrors, wall and floor coverings.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of kitchen benches and fixtures
      including sinks, stoves, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers etc and associated
      plumbing and wiring.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of ducted, hydronic or concealed
      radiant type heating provided that the installation does not damage existing
      skirtings and architraves and provided that the location of the heating unit
      is concealed from view.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of electrical wiring provided that all
      new wiring is fully concealed and any original light switches, pull cords,
      push buttons or power outlets are retained in-situ. Note: if wiring original
      to the place was carried in timber conduits then the conduits should remain
      in-situ.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of bulk insulation in the roof space.
      * Installation, removal or replacement of smoke detectors.

Public contributions

Note: Developments may span multiple time periods
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