Menangle Railway Bridge

Menangle Railway Bridge is a wrought iron cellular through girder railway bridge, supported on a mixture of sandstone blocks and brick piers, across the Nepean River, 64 km south-west of Sydney on the Main South line to Melbourne.

The bridge is the oldest metal railway bridge in use in New South Wales and was the first large iron bridge constructed in the state rail network. It has a dominant appearance in a rural landscape.

The bridge construction was commenced in 1862 and it was completed in 1863 after testing using three steam locomotives.

The designer was John Whitton, Engineer-in-Chief, Railways Branch, NSW Department of Public Works and John Fowler, a British civil engineer who checked the design.

No ceremony has yet taken place to recognise the bridge and there is no EHA marker or interpretation panel installed as of November 2023.

The bridge as seen from the river bank downstream.

Aerial view of Menangle Bridge.

The brdge soon after its construction.

Extra brick piers were aded in 1907 to halve the spans.

The approaches as both ends were originally timber trestles but were replaced in 1923.

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Menangle Bridge location map.

Engineering Heritage Recognition Program

Marker Type	Engineering Heritage Marker (EHM)
Award Date e	Menangle Bridge was the first large iron railway bridge built in Australia and is still in main line service more than a century and a half later.
Nomination Document	Available here.
Supporting Document	Available here.
Ceremony Booklet	No ceremony held.
Plaque/Interpretation Panel	None Installed.