Bridge 752, Northam-Pithara Rd, over Mortlock River

Values

• The place is a modest representative example of a timber road bridge constructed using sustenance labour.
• The place has some aesthetic value as a well-constructed timber road bridge.

Physical Description

Bridge 752, Northam-Pithara Rd, over Mortlock River, Northam is located on the Northam Pithara Road and crosses the Mortlock River, a tributary of the Avon River. The place is a timber road bridge, constructed c.1933, oriented northeast-southwest where it crosses the Mortlock River, approximately 1.2km northeast of the Northam townsite. The bridge is constructed of 12 spans, the overall structure measuring approximately 82m long, 11m wide, and sits more than 5m from the bottom of the Mortlock River. The bridge sits on driven timber piles over which lies the bridge deck, consisting of round timber logs. The timber deck has since been overlain with bitumen and concrete. Galvanised steel safety barriers have been installed along the sides, bolted to the timber log stringers.

History

Northam is situated in Ballardong Noongar booja (country). The area is home to a number of significant Aboriginal sites including mythological, art and artefact scatters, some known to be between 30,000 and 40,000 years old. The Ballardong Noongar lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle across the region until the British arrived in the 1830s. Noongar people were displaced from their traditional lands and conflict continued throughout the nineteenth-century. The Wheatbelt region wraps around the north and east sides of the metropolitan area, and comprises largely mixed use farming, mainly wheat and sheep, with small crops of barley and canola. The region also sees substantial mining returns, including mineral sands and gold, whilst tourism makes a notable contribution to the local economy and influences road use patterns. Port locations also influence road patterns in the region with many focussed on the export of agricultural produce to Fremantle, Bunbury and Albany, and to a lesser degree, Geraldton and Esperance.

Uses

Creation Date

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