Bridges and Ferries, Published 1 June 2026
Before Brisbane had the sleek concrete Victoria Bridge we know today, there was the magnificent steel giant that ruled the river for more than 70 years - Brisbane’s second Permanent Victoria Bridge.
Officially opened on 22 June 1897, the bridge was built after the devastating 1893 floods destroyed the earlier crossing. Designed by Queensland Government Architect Alfred Barton Brady, it was a bold engineering statement for a rapidly growing city. Constructed from steel, wrought iron, stone and cement, the bridge featured elegant entrance arches and decorative ironwork that gave it a distinctly Victorian character.
The bridge was built in two stages, with the first half opening in 1896 before the completed structure officially opened the following year. Over the decades it carried horses and carts, pedestrians, early motor cars and Brisbane’s famous trams, which rattled across the river day and night.
For many years it served as Brisbane’s principal road crossing of the Brisbane River, linking the growing city with South Brisbane and beyond.
By the 1940s, however, the old bridge was beginning to show its age. Increasing traffic loads and the weight of trams caused the structure to show signs of buckling, leading to restrictions on tram operations and vehicle movements.
In one of Brisbane’s most fascinating engineering moments, the old and new Victoria Bridges briefly stood side-by-side in 1969 - one rising beside the other as demolition crews carefully dismantled the ageing structure. After 73 years of service, Brisbane’s second Victoria Bridge disappeared from the skyline.
But not all of it was lost. One of the original stone entrance arches still survives on the South Brisbane side today - a quiet reminder of the bridge that carried generations of Brisbane residents across the river and helped shape the city we know today.
A quick note about our visuals: To help tell this story, we’ve used computer‑generated illustrations based on public‑domain archival material from the 1930s. They’re created purely for educational, non‑commercial history sharing.
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