THE QUARTER MILE BRIDGE
WEST COAST WILDERNESS RAILWAY-TEEPOOKANA TO DUBBIL BARRIL
The West Coast Wilderness Railway runs from Queenstown to Regatta Point in Strahan, a total of 34 km and was originally developed by the Mt Lyell Mining & Railway Co to transport copper ore concentrates to port and markets.
In 1893, the survey began and the original section between Teepookana and Queenstown was completed in 19 months with the final section between Teeppokana and Regatta Point in Strahan completed in 1898. One of the most difficult stretches was the 7 km between Teepookana and Dubbil Barril. It included 19 bridges over very difficult terrain and included the Quarter Mile Bridge over the King River which continued to give probelems throughout the 67 years of operation. The construction commenced in December 1894 by a Melbourne based company, and proved most difficult as wooden piles were driven into up to 18 m of silt before they could find solid ground. The wooden poles had to be spliced to provide the length needed and some were as long as 20m. The King Bridge was the second longest in Tasmania and 900 feet. The steel spans were 85 feet long and were manufactured in Melbourne and shipped to Tasmania.
The Original Quarter Mile Bridge in the river
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