The Narrows Bridge is a freeway and railway crossing of the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. ... The original road bridge was opened in 1959 and was the largest precast prestressed concretebridge in the world. The page identifies changes in the area from the earliest dates includes changes made the natural sites for population growth what we do Our Project: as we map places and create tourist info page we may also create a page on history the history pages are slow to compile as it is not our priority, we welcome contributions  1849 Bridge debateThe Narrows bridge idea is "ridiculous"
"A scheme so ridiculous and extravagant that it could never be entertained for one moment, save by the most inveterate theorist. For the execution of any such work, where are the funds to be found? And even if these were forthcoming, there are many plans of much more general utility, which claim the first attention." [59] 1869 dredgingIn 1869 a steam dredge Black Swan was ordered from England at a cost of £3000 and assembled in Fremantle. It was a significant investment for a small colony and the Black Swan, 90 feet long and able to dredge to 12 feet, became the symbol of what was seen as development and progress in Perth. It was launched by the Governor who claimed it would remove obstructions to navigation by dredging river channels, in particular by clearing a permanent channel through the Causeway flats and deepening the River near the jetties at William and Barrack Streets. By the time the Black Swan was launched in October 1869 the community had persuaded authorities that they needed a recreation ground. The dredge, unsuited to dredging in shallow waters began work on channel deepening in the river but by 1870 it lay idle and rusting at the Government jetty. The costly investment appeared to face technical and political barriers to its use and was described as "the steam dredge affair."  1989 Dredging 1897
1900 Boat RampPhoto taken from the West side of the South Perth Boat ramp, behind the ramp in the distance is Mends St Jetty
the boat ramp continues as does the Old Mill which is an heritage museum site
 Swan Keeper tending swan adjacent now-defunct Millers Pool, near the Old Mill, South Perth, c1900. Perth can be seen in the background.
 1918 photo 1922 photoIt is less than a kilometre from Perth's city centre, but its relative isolation on the opposite side of the Swan River has shaped how South Perth has developed over the years.In the early days of the colony, there was no easy way of crossing the river so few people chose to settle there. "The history of South Perth, industrially, dates back to 1833 when the well-known windmill was built just near where The Narrows Bridge is now," The low-lying land on the peninsula was flood prone and attracted only Chinese market gardeners and dairy farmers.  In 1938 it was announced that the reclamation between Mill Point and Mends Street Jetty including all the low lying market garden areas between the Causeway and Mends Street Jetty would proceed. The passionate debate for and against the preservation of Millers Pool began again with the Town Planning Board supporting its retention, but by early 1940, the Chinese Gardens between Coode and Mends Streets had been resumed and work was underway. Renamed McCallum Park, plans for the area included provision for sports grounds, seven acres of shrubbery, 25 tennis courts, a riverside drive and an area overlooking the park nearer Canning Highway subdivided for housing.
 1954 build bridgeConstruction
As the population in the South Perth district increased, there were calls for dredging of the River around the jetties to enable access by larger steamers as well as access across the Narrows. Nothing further was done about the bridge at this time and although there were attempts to establish a pontoon ferry service for vehicles across the narrows from as early as 1910, it was not until the late 1920s and early 1930s that the various options for crossing the river at Perth were more seriously considered. In 1940 the South Perth Road Board called for action to deal with the increasing traffic on the old, very inadequate and increasingly dangerous Causeway, still the only crossing for vehicles between North Fremantle and Belmont. Investigations concluded that another bridge was needed as in peak periods, the Causeway was already operating with a traffic density approaching capacity and in the next 10 years the estimated growth in population south of the river would be 100,000. The building of the Narrows bridge was no longer a long range proposal, its need was seen as urgent and Cabinet approved its construction in August 1954. In late 1954 boring rigs commenced work to test the nature of the river bottom at the Narrows site and reclamation work was commenced.  Preliminary work began on April 1. The first permanent pile was driven in August 1957. The 396.5m bridge included six lanes with footpaths on both sides. The overall structure was built as five individual spans, with the longest being 98m. Each of the sections were individually prestressed using a hydraulic jack and joined by high-tensile continuity cables. 
1957 Bridge readyNarrows Bridge opened
In July 1956 tenders were called in the United Kingdom and Europe and the successful tender from Christiani and Nielsen of Denmark, in association with J.O. Clough and Son of Perth was accepted in March 1957. The first of a series of permanent piles was driven through around 60 feet of mud to an average depth of 110 feet below water level in August 1957 and the project was opened on 13 November 1959, a few months’ delay caused by the nature of the site.  It took more than a century of debate for officials to decide to build Perth's Narrows Bridge. It has become one of Perth’s busiest and most important river crossings, carrying nearly 200,000 vehicles every weekday. But it took more than a century of procrastination and debate before the construction of the Narrows Bridge finally began 60 years ago this month. Even then, it remained a contentious project. Some people condemned the reclamation of parts of the Swan River to support the bridge — a plan described by prominent architect Harold Boas as vandalism. And when deputy premier John Tonkin announced it would be called Golden West Bridge, it created a backwash of public protest. Ultimately, people power won. It was named after the stretch of water between Mill Point and Point Lewis which had become known as The Narrows. Debate over the need for the bridge began in 1849 when The Narrows was identified as a good bridge site. A formal proposal was developed in 1899 but the estimated cost of £13,000 was considered too great. Two years later, the Public Works Department came up with another plan for a 274m timber bridge but it came to nothing.
It had cost £1.5 million. Complementary projects — the construction of the Kwinana Freeway between the bridge and Canning Highway and the land reclamation using 3.4 million cubic metres of sand — bumped the cost up to £3.5 million. Increasing congestion on the crossing during the 1970s led to the bridge being widened to seven lanes. But by 1998, the volume of traffic using the bridge had increased again. Carrying over 155,000 vehicles every day, it had become the busiest piece of freeway in Australia. Instead of widening the bridge again, a separate road bridge was built to run parallel to the original to carry six lanes of traffic. It opened in February 2001. A third bridge was built in the 6m gap between the road bridges for trains to cross on the new Mandurah line. It was open by December 23, 2007 2001 2nd bridgeIn 2001, a second bridge was opened to the west of the original Narrows Bridge to cope with increased traffic volumes. This bridge looks almost identical, but the construction technique was quite different. 2007 3rd bridgeIn 2007, a third bridge was opened, this one filling a small gap between the 1959 and 2001 bridges and carrying the railway line to Mandurah.
2014 BeautifyRedevelopment proposal:
Re establish Millers pool, caf'e and chair lift to Kings Park
in our view the chair lift should continue along the river the Richardson Park with botanical garden walk to the Perth Zoo
The entire article is posted below
Lagoon vision for South Perth foreshore to become ‘world class attraction’ for Swan River PETER LAW PerthNow September 7, 2014 12:00AM THE multi-million dollar re-excavation of a historic riverfront lagoon is planned as part of a new vision for an iconic Perth beauty spot. A masterplan to develop the South Perth foreshore into a “world-class attraction” also proposes more outdoor activities, public facilities, beach art and events. A community survey found the foreshore, a popular Australia Day Skyworks vantage point, is seen as “fairly tired” and in need of “revitalisation” to “bring it back to life”. The City of South Perth, however, does not propose any residential development and only limited commercial opportunities, such as food vans. Previous attempts to develop the foreshore have met with strong opposition from residents fearful their river views could be obscured.  Plans include re-excavation of a lagoon, restaurants, a museum, moorings, a pedestrian bridge to Kings Park.Picture: Supplied
Millers Pool, infilled when the neighbouring Narrows Bridge was built in the 1950s, will be restored to close to its original shape and reopened to the Swan River. The cost of the pool project has been cut to about $3 million as the excavation will only be four metres deep to avoid disturbing soil acids. Revised plans include a riverfront restaurant overhanging the lagoon, a pedestrian bridge and restoration of black swan habitats to encourage breeding. The redevelopment of the Old Mill precinct, which includes a flying fox to Kings Park, a museum and marina, will be considered separately. “It is across the way from Elizabeth Quay and in terms of the whole proposal, one of the components that we’re really quiet aware of is how we need to balance what Elizabeth Quay’s going to offer,” South Perth Mayor Sue Doherty said.  Produced by Lawrence Associates for the City of South Perth. Plans include re-excavation of a lagoon.Picture: Supplied
Architect Garry Lawrence, commissioned to draw up the Millers Pool concept, said it would recognise the area’s indigenous and settlement history. Resident Peter Best, who organised a recent public forum on South Perth’s future, said as the city loses its open spaces, the foreshore will be “a green gem within a crowded space”. “Consultations have shown how very many possibilities there are for the park’s future,” he said. “A danger is that in doing nothing and pleasing nobody the park will revert to a muddy riverbank.”  Plans include a flying fox to Kings Park.Picture: Supplied The development of Mends St as a piazza and promenade to capitalise on a planned $300 million, 30-storey tower near the Windsor Hotel, is the top priority. Parts of the river wall in the area have collapsed and restoration works are expected to start soon. Ultimately, a promenade stretching the entire riverfront is envisaged. Mrs Doherty said the long-term plan balanced competing demands.
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Related topics39 page reference as well as individual zones
such as Como Beach, Narrows, Mends St Jetty
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