05/12/2025
James Maiden and James Watt had operated punts across the Murray from the Moama side, and Henry Hopwood had run a couple of punts and a pontoon bridge from the Victorian side. But people were dissatisfied with these crossings because they did not cope with the quantity of stock, vehicles and travellers wanting to cross the river, and the charges were unreasonable.
Henry Hopwood’s charges to cross the Murray were One shilling and sixpence for a horseman, sixpence for each head of cattle, a loaded vehicle cost one shilling for each horse and nine pence for each wheel, sheep cost between a halfpenny and three farthings depending on the size of the flock. Thousands of sheep and cattle made the crossing and made Hopwood very rich.
Residents of Echuca and Moama attended a public meeting to discuss the need for a proper bridge across the Murray. Then the rail line was extended to Echuca in 1864 and both Governments put aside funds towards the cost of construction of a bridge. Yet it was not until 11 years later that tenders were called. The delay was caused by interstate rivalry – who would benefit the most from the rich Riverina wool trade, and would Victoria benefit unfairly by having the bridge and the rail.
Finally agreement was reached and work started on the £80,000 project, completed in December 1878. Trains from the privately owned Deniliquin and Moama Railway Company were allowed to use the bridge, but it was closed to all other traffic pending a Government inspection and settlement of contractors’ claims for extra work, and the fact that the Victorian Government had given DMRC trains permission to use the bridge without referring the matter to the NSW Government.
At a meeting at the end of February 1879 residents gave the authorities another week to open the bridge, or they would meet again to discuss action open to them. A week later another meeting was held at Hopwood Gardens from where some of the crowd hurried to open the barricades and others raced to the NSW side by punt and pontoon bridge to open the barricades on the NSW side. Around 200 people tore down the barricades at Percy Street, but were delayed in opening the lock on the gates at the bridge entry point. It was finally opened and the crowd was met by a horseman galloping across the bridge from the Moama side, followed by a horse and buggy and countless pedestrians. For a couple of hours pedestrians, horsemen, cabs, buggies, spring carts, etc streamed back and forth across the bridge amid loud cheers.
Before dispersing, the crowd restored the scene and the gates were pegged back so rail traffic could continue as normal. Despite some Government enquiries into the “Bridge Riot”, no reprisals were taken. The bridge was never officially opened.
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