Morell Bridge
Formally known as the Anderson Street Bridge, the Morell Bridge was originally conceived to address local residents’ desires for a bridge to allow vehicle movement and to improve the aesthetic quality of the banks along the Yarra River. Remarkably the bridge was constructed on dry land and once completed the river was diverted to flow underneath it. The main reason the river was diverted was to prevent and alleviate flooding upstream. The Morell Bridge spans 102 metres in length and is divided into three equal spans of Monier arch. The bridge has concrete abutments and piers at either end with the northern abutment built on piles through alluvial soils. The space between the arch and the roadway was filled and compacted with earth which was generally sourced from local areas.
The bridge is in original condition and is fitted with ornamental cast iron balustrades and Victorian lights. The spandrel walls are decorated with ornamental decorations including large dragons which are etched out with cement mortar and painted grey. The gutters on the bridge are cobbled bluestone, with a single 5.7-metre-wide bitumen lane running down the centre.
The Monier method of construction is basically a system which utilises the good compressive nature of concrete and the tensile strength of the iron rods as reinforcement. This system of reinforcing concrete was created and patented in 1867 by a French garden ware manufacturer named Joseph Monier. Monier was fed-up with his clay and wooden planter boxes breaking all the time, and therefore came up with the reinforced concrete system. He started making his planter boxes out of concrete using a grid like system of small iron bars as the reinforcement. The design was continually developed and ended up covering a range of things including arch bridges which was later patented in 1875.
Later in the 19th century the Monier system finally reached Australian shores. The system of reinforced concrete for arch bridges was embraced by the engineering and contracting firm Carter, Gummow & Co who had acquired the New South Wales and Victorian patent rights. After a meeting with Frank Gummow of Carter, Gummow & Co, Joshua Anderson of the Monash and Anderson partnership negotiated an agreement for the firm to become the Victorian agents for the Monier patents. Furthermore, Monash and Anderson also had involvement in many other bridges around the state; however the amount of involvement they had in the Morell Bridge is hard to decipher with the lack of evidence available.
Later, in 1936 the bridge was renamed the Morell Bridge after Sir Stephen Morell who was a prominent Victorian businessman and Lord Mayor of Melbourne between the years of 1926 and 1928.
Today the bridge is still in operation, used by cyclists and pedestrian traffic, connecting the Royal Botanic Gardens to the Olympic Park precinct.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage Marker |
| Award Date | September 2015 |
| Heritage Significance | The Morell Bridge has historical significance as it was the first structure built in Victoria using the Monier type of construction. The Monier bridge design and in particular the Morell Bridge have played an integral part in the evolution of bridge design, with an obvious transition from predominantly masonry or timber bridges to reinforced concrete bridges. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet Ceremony Report |
Not Available. |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | Available here. |
