Bridge 500, Muir Highway over Kent River, Perillup

Values

 The place is demonstrates the widespread use of timber as a structural material in twentieth century bridge building;
 The place is associated with the growth of regional road infrastructure in the mid twentieth century as road began to replace rail.

Physical Description

Bridge 500, Muir Highway over Kent River, Perillup is a double lane timber, concrete and steel road bridge spanning the Kent River, approximately 45km west-northwest of the town of Mount Barker. The bridge is approximately 44m long, 7.6m wide and sits approximately 1m above the creek bed at its highest point. The bridge consists of 7 spans constructed along a west-northwest to east-southeast axis. The bridge abutments consist of dressed timber planks laid against an earth embankment, which has been further supported by timber logs planted upright against the planks. Some of these upright timber logs have since been replaced by galvanised steel members. The foundation of the abutment further appears to have been modified through the use of concrete blocks on at least one side.

History

In the region around Plantagenet, the Noongar groups known as the Ganeang, Goreng and Minang lived for tens of thousands of years, moving between the coast and inland forests to utilise the natural resources of the area. This way of life began to be disrupted after 1829 with the arrival of colonists, with farmers moving into the Plantagenet area after 1840. A small network of farms and orchards slowly developed over the next few decades, however this growth accelerated after 1890 with the arrival of railway transport and the increased demand for produce arising from the Gold Boom. By the Turn of the century, Plantagenet was a modestly sized but thriving mixed agricultural area.

Uses

Creation Date

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