Luggate "Grandview Bridge" (Red Bridge)

The first black and white photos show the site of the punt across the Clutha River that the red bridge has replaced.

This bridge is rated 'High' on the Councils Historic Register and is obviously important. 'The Luggate 'Grandview Bridge' is a local icon listed highly in the QLDC Historic Register. It was opened on October 28, 1915, and has been described as "one of the most attractively proportioned steel truss road bridges in the country." It is 103.7 metres long, and features a 61 metre 'Baltimore through truss.' The bridge replaced a punt ferry opened in 1882. In 1888, the punt was sunk when a heavily loaded wagon from the Luggate flour mill lurched to one end. But the most dramatic incident happened when the punt cable broke during a flood, sending the punt swiftly downriver into the Devil's Nook where it was wrecked. The puntman escaped by holding onto a horses tail, having cut a wagon-team free at a timely moment.' ~ Lewis Verduyn, Pioneer Rafting.

Luggate Red Bridge under construction
















Colour photo of the Red Bridge today is courtesy of Lewis Verduyn