List of crossings of the Murray River
The Murray River in south-eastern Australia has been a significant barrier to land-based travel and trade. This article lists and briefly describes all of the recognised crossing points. Many of these had also developed as river ports for transport of goods along the Murray. Now almost every significant town along the river has a bridge or vehicle-carrying cable ferry nearby.
The crossings are listed in order starting from the Murray Mouth and proceeding upstream.
South Australia
As the ferries are registered as boats, each one has a name, usually named after a waterbird. As of December 2017, the ferry names are:- Narrung: Dotterel
- Wellington: Heron
- Tailem Bend: Rosella
- Mannum large : Swan
- Mannum : Pelican
- Purnong: Kingfisher
- Walker Flat: Stilt II
- Swan Reach: Water Hen
- Morgan: Coot
- Cadell: Albatross II
- Waikerie: Quail
- Lyrup: Cockatoo
In Victoria and New South Wales
Most of the bridges downstream of Echuca are liftspan bridges to enable paddlesteamer traffic to pass underneath even in times of high water flow.
The Hume, Newell and Sturt Highway bridges are owned and managed by the Federal Government. The others are the responsibility of New South Wales and Victoria.
Image | Crossing | Coordinates | Location | Built | Description | Notes |
Abbotsford Bridge | Yelta to Curlwaa | 1928 | 235 metres long, single lane lift bridge | |||
George Chaffey Bridge | Mildura to Buronga | 1985 | 331 metres long, 9.8 metres wide bridge carrying the Sturt Highway | |||
Robinvale-Euston Bridge | Robinvale to Euston | 2006 | Replaced a single-lane lift-span road/rail bridge that was opened in 1927 as part of the abandoned Lette railway line.. | |||
Tooleybuc Bridge | Piangil to Tooleybuc | 1925 | timber and steel truss, single-lane restriction on lift span | |||
Nyah Bridge | Nyah to Koraleigh | 1941 | 104 metres, central lift span | |||
Speewa Ferry | Speewa | Two-car capacity, 8 tonne load limit. Upstream is a private ferry to Beveridge Island ; it crosses a Little Murray anabranch, but that is now the main navigable channel. | ||||
Swan Hill Bridge | Swan Hill | 1896 | Two lanes except central lift span; 116 metres | |||
Gonn Crossing Bridge | Murrabit to Ballbank | 1926 | 103 metres Lift-span road/rail bridge, opened as part of the Kerang-Stony Crossing railway line; road only since the railway closed in 1964. | |||
Barham Bridge | Koondrook to Barham | 1904 | liftspan bridge, 99 metres | |||
Echuca-Moama Bridge | Echuca to Moama | 1879 | built as joint road/rail bridge, proposed for replacement/bypass | |||
Echuca-Moama Bridge | Echuca to Moama | 1989 | rail | |||
Barmah Bridge | Barmah | 1966 | 168 metres replaced ferry | |||
Tocumwal Rail Bridge | Tocumwal | 1895 | originally a road/rail bridge | |||
Edward Hillson Bridge | Tocumwal | 1987 | Newell Highway 212 metres long, 12 metres wide | |||
Cobram-Barooga Bridge | Cobram to Barooga | 1902 | Old liftspan timber truss bridge | |||
Cobram-Barooga Bridge | Cobram to Barooga | 2006 | New concrete bridge built immediately upstream of the old bridge | |||
Yarrawonga Weir | Yarrawonga to Mulwala | 1939 | Weir Road, one lane along the weir wall - originally designated as a stock route | |||
Yarrawonga Rail Bridge | Yarrawonga to Mulwala | 1989 | railway bridge, replaced earlier wooden bridge and earthen embankment | |||
Mulwala Bridge | Yarrawonga to Mulwala | 1924 | Crosses Lake Mulwala, 488 metres | |||
John Foord Bridge | Wahgunyah to Corowa | 1892 | retained for local traffic | |||
Federation Bridge | Wahgunyah to Corowa | 2005 | Two lanes wide and 195 metres long, with a 95 metres approach bridge on the NSW side. | |||
John Conway Bourke Bridge | Howlong | 2001 | Commemorates the first carrier of mail from Sydney in 1838 to what would later be called Melbourne | |||
Lincoln Causeway/Union Bridge | Wodonga to Albury | 1961 | 4 lanes, 92 metres long, widened 1990 | |||
Albury-Wodonga Rail Bridge | Wodonga to Albury | 1888 | Originally double track - one Broad gauge plus one Standard gauge. Broad gauge track disconnected following conversion of the North East Victorian broad gauge line to standard gauge in 2010. | |||
Spirit of Progress Bridge | Wodonga to Albury | 2006 | New Hume Highway bridge, named for the former Spirit of Progress train. | |||
Island Road Bridge | Thurgoona to the Island | |||||
Heywood Bridge | Hume Dam to Bonegilla | 1984 | 124 metres long. Between Albury and here there is a bridge near the airport, to Bonegilla Island. | |||
Bonegilla Bridge | Hume Dam to Bonegilla | 1941 | The Hume Weir wall, now closed to motorised traffic. single lane, 91 metres | |||
Bethanga Bridge | Bellbridge | 1930 | on the Riverina Highway across Lake Hume | |||
Wymah Ferry | Wymah | upstream end of Lake Hume, 2-car capacity, 11 tonne load limit | ||||
Jingellic Bridge | Jingellic | 1959 | 156 metres | |||
Tintaldra Bridge | Tintaldra | 1959 | steel truss bridge 185 metres | |||
Towong Bridge | Towong | 1938 | 61 metres long | |||
Bringenbrong Bridge | Bringenbrong | 1961 | 87 metres long, near Corryong on the Alpine Way | |||
Indi Bridge | 1961 | Connects the Indi homestead in NSW to the Upper Murray Road. Steel girder, with concrete piles and a concrete deck. Single lane, 3.7 metres wide. | ||||
Biggara Bridge | Biggara | 1951 | ||||
Tom Groggin Bridge | Tom Groggin | Private bridges to Tom Groggin Station: low level for vehicles; higher-level suspension bridge for pedestrians when the other is flooded. |