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Causeway
Victoria Park Library:
The Causeway crossing comprised of bridges linking the opposite side of the river via Heirisson Island, with the first bridge, initially named the Perth Bridge, being completed in 1841. The approaches to the bridge were completed sufficiently for horses at the beginning of 1842 but it was not until May 1843 that the work was open for general traffic. The entire operation had cost £1,814-10-0. This work, done at a considerable expense to the colony at a time when roads were particularly difficult to construct and maintain would, in time, fulfil Camfield’s prophesy that proximity to the capital would prove beneficial for the [Victoria Park] district. In the meantime, to defray the cost and to bring in revenue, a list of tolls payable were published in the Government Gazette on May 19th 1843, A foot passenger would be required to pay one penny; each sheep, lamb, pig or goat incurred a charge of one penny, whilst every head of cattle, horse, ass or mule would incure a three pence charge. Every gig, chaise, cart, dray, or other vehicle was required to pay sixpence to cross.
Susannah Thompson:
The Causeway was damaged in 1862 when floods wrought extensive damage throughout the Swan River Colony. A writer with the nom de plume ‘Cygnet’ claimed that these floods almost obliterated the entire Colony – and a the very least extensively damaged the Causeway which lay seven to eight feet under water. There was also one casualty, Lieutenant Oliver of the 12th Regiment, who was drowned whilst crossing the Causeway as part of his return to Perth from Guildford. As part of its reconditioning, the entire structure was raised several feet. In all, three bridges with a combined length of 1770 feet were provided, and the new Causeway was opened with great ceremony on 12 November 1867. In an incident which reflects Alfred Stone’s assessment of the Colony as being less concerned with etiquette than ‘back home’ in England, the unrehearsed highlight of this occasion saw a young man claim the honour of being first over the bridge, immediately after the Governor, J. S. Hampton, had declared the Perth Bridge and Causeway to be open. ‘Cygnet’ described it with some amusement:
'Seated astride a raw-boned brumby in the edge of the assembled crowd, he had up to this point watched the proceedings, it may safely be said, with as much interest as any other youth in the multitude. But the Governor’s declaration … moved something inside him. Whatever it was … for no sooner had the Governor ceased to speak than young Maley shot straight up in his stirrups and, mimicking His Excellency’s style, bellowed out in loud and strident tones: ‘And I, John Stephen Maley, do hereby declare that I will be the first to cross this Perth Bridge and Causeway!’ And he did – before the rest of the assembled party crossed the bridge in a ‘more solemn state.’ Thompson, 2013: 20-22.
References and Links
Thompson, Susannah 2013, Beyond Matta Gerup: A History of Victoria Park, Town of Victoria Park.
Town of Victoria Park Library, in Facebook, whence two of the images.
This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 8 March, 2022 and hosted at freotopia.org/bridges/causeway.html (it was last updated on 23 October, 2023), and has been edited since it was imported here (see page history). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.