Local Government
Swan
Region
Metropolitan
Location
West Swan Rd Belhus
Location Details
Municipal Inventory No: 638. The bridge stands on the site of a ford near Cruse's Mill (Henry Bull's Cottage/Belhus Estate P2536). The MI states it is Lot 30, 12571 West Swan Road, Ellenbrook.
Other Name(s)
Cruse's Mill, Belhus Estate
MRWA 915
Construction Date
Constructed from 1896, Constructed from 1988
Demolition Year
N/AStatutory Heritage Listings
| Type | Status | Date | Documents | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 14 May 2021 |
Other Heritage Listings and Surveys
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | More information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Description | ||||
| Statewide Lge Timber Str Survey | Completed | 11 Dec 1998 |
|
Heritage Council | |
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 29 Jul 1998 | Significant |
Significant |
|
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 30 Aug 2017 | Category 3 |
Category 3 |
|
Statement of Significance
Significant as the location of a place used to cross Ellen's Brook since the earliest years of the Colony.
Physical Description
The bridge is of timber, having been rebuilt in 1988, from the previous construction of 1850-51, as a footbridge, narrower than the original. The previous width of the bridge can be seen by the position of the piles and half caps supporting the present deck. The deck is constructed of jarrah railway sleepers.
History
The site where this bridge stands was used as a ford to cross Ellen's Brook from the earliest years of the colony. (Further downstream the valley sides were too steep to allow carts and other vehicles to pass easily.) A public road was surveyed on the west side of the Swan Valley in the early 1840s and led to this point near Cruse's Mill. However, no bridge was built across Ellen's Brook until 1850-51, when convict labour was made available for public works. At the time the bridge was built, a new road was surveyed and cleared between this point and the northern side of the new Upper Swan Bridge. This road remained a public highway for many years after the West Swan Road was re-routed, and part of it is still a public road (called Cruse Belhus Road).