Princes Bridge

When the first European settlers arrived in Melbourne in 1835 there was no permanent crossing point of the Yarra River. Over time various punt and ferry operators set up business but there was still no bridge. In those times there was no point in waiting for the government in Sydney to provide a bridge and most of Melbourne’s early infrastructure was provided by private enterprise. On 22nd April 1840 a private company was set up with the intention of constructing a bridge across the Yarra and they opened a wooden toll bridge.

By 1850, the government had caught up and built a fine single span structure of brick and stone, opened it on 15 November, called it Princes Bridge, and made it available to the public for free. Within a year, gold was discovered in country Victoria, population numbers swelled and Melbourne became recognised as ‘Marvellous Melbourne’ and the narrow carriageway on the bridge was then inadequate for such a bustling city.

By 1888 and our second International Exhibition, Melbourne had designed and built the third bridge on the site and the one that we know today.