Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Bridge

The Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Bridge is a girder bridge crossing the Myall River connecting the two townships of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest in the Mid-Coast Council, New South Wales, Australia. It got its nickname the Singing Bridge from the musical sounds its railings generate during strong south-westerly winds acting as a wind harp.

The Jean Shaw Koala Reserve is located at its northeastern end, part of a wildlife corridor to the Myall Lakes. Koalas have been known to cross the bridge at night.

History

About 1928, a ferry service started carrying passengers between the two townships across the Myall River. Later, cars were added, resulting in peak queues during holiday periods of up to six hours. The Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Bridge was completed and opened by the New South Wales Minister for Public Works on 6 April 1974. In response to this demand a A$1.2 million bridge was placed immediately downstream, eliminating the ferry service.

Construction

The bridge is of girder construction, made of both prestressed and reinforced concrete. It is 304.3 metres (998 ft) long, with seven 35.3 metres (116 ft) spans and two of 28.3 metres (93 ft). It carries a two-lane road 7.3 metres (24 ft) wide and two pedestrian walkways 1.5 metres (5 ft) wide. Clearance is 10.6 m (34.8 ft) at high water.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Tea Gardens-Hawks Nest Bridge" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.