No quest to photograph Sydney’s most photogenic bridges would be complete without a trip to Parramatta. It has a range of interesting bridges, both historic and modern, with contrasting designs and materials. Walking along the river is an easy way to explore and photograph several of them in one outing.
Arriving in Parramatta by train
I had planned to get the ferry to Parramatta but arrived in Circular Quay to discover there was no ferry for two hours so I hopped back onto the train with the new intention of returning by ferry instead.
Powerhouse Museum
At the river side, I passed the striking new Powerhouse museum. Wrapped in an enormous white steel lattice, it looks like a giant piece of structural sculpture. Designed by Franco-Japanese architects Moreau Kusunoki with Australian firm Genton, it is the largest museum ever built in New South Wales and Western Sydney’s first state cultural institution. Its vast spaces bring together science, technology, design and the arts, while an unexpected feature is accommodation for visiting scientists, researchers and creatives to live and work at the museum. An impressive new landmark in Parramatta’s changing skyline.
Barry Wilde Bridge
Barry Wilde Bridge was built in 1975 and crosses the Parramatta River just upstream from the ferry wharf. Named after a former Parramatta mayor and state MP, the bridge is distinguished by its unusual Y-shaped supporting piers. In July 2012, it became home to Australia’s first bridge fountain, with 21 water jets and 41 LED lights designed to create an illuminated curtain of water alongside the bridge.
Lennox Bridge
Lennox Bridge is my favourite of Parramatta’s bridges because of its history. Built by convict labour between 1836 and 1839, the sandstone bridge carries Church Street across the Parramatta River and is one of Australia’s oldest surviving bridges. It was designed by David Lennox, a Scottish stonemason who became the colony’s Superintendent of Bridges. Governor Bourke laid the foundation stone in November 1836, and the completed bridge cost £1,797.
Despite being designed by Lennox, it was not officially named after him until 1867. The bridge has been altered several times to accommodate changing transport needs, including work in 1912 for the Castle Hill tramway and further widening in the 1930s. A proposal to demolish it was reported in 1930, but fortunately it was retained.
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| David Lennox who designed the bridge |
Walking along the river towards the park
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| Bridge across O'Connell Street |
Parramatta Park
Parramatta Park covers 85 hectares beside the Parramatta River. Once the grounds of the colonial governors’ residence, it became a public park in the nineteenth century. Its historic buildings include Old Government House and the Dairy Cottage, while its lawns, mature trees and riverside paths provide plenty of space for walking and cycling close to the city centre. The park is beautiful along the river, with large trees, grassy banks and plenty of greenery.
Noller Bridge
Noller Bridge crosses the Parramatta River within Parramatta Park and is named after William Peter Noller, a former mayor and park trustee. Built in 1925, the timber truss footbridge replaced an earlier crossing from 1887 that had been destroyed by floods in the 1890s. Its riverside setting, surrounding greenery and reflections in the water make it a particularly attractive bridge to photograph.
Buttons Bridge
Buttons Bridge is a pedestrian and cycling crossing over the Parramatta River within Parramatta Park. It provides access to Little Coogee, a former swimming spot, and the nearby grey-headed flying-fox colony.
Walking back towards town
Elizabeth Street Footbridge
Elizabeth Street Footbridge crosses the Parramatta River for pedestrians and cyclists, replacing an earlier narrow bridge that carried pipes across the water. It features Wake, a 2003 artwork by Susan Milne and Greg Stonehouse, consisting of suspended, stylised oars arranged like wings. The design suggests both the movement of rowing oars and birds in flight, making the bridge a distinctive feature of the riverside walk.
Gasworks Bridge
Gasworks Bridge was completed in 1885 and takes its name from the gasworks that once stood nearby on the southern bank of the Parramatta River. Its distinctive iron lattice structure rests on large sandstone piers and stretches approximately 110 metres across the river. Built at a cost of £16,800, it was considered an advanced engineering structure for its time and remains a reminder of Parramatta’s industrial past.
Getting onto the Parramatta River ferry towards Circular Quay
I boarded the ferry at Parramatta Wharf for the journey to Circular Quay, knowing the route would take me past several more of Sydney’s iconic bridges. It was a chance to photograph them up close and personal from the water. Unfortunately though we were not allowed on the front deck, so getting good photos proved to be a be a bit of a challenge.
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| Gasworks Bridge from the ferry |
Alfred Street Bridge
Alfred Street Bridge opened in October 2023 and is Australia’s first true diagonal arch bridge, with its arch crossing diagonally over the walkway. Almost 200 metres long, it provides a dedicated crossing for pedestrians and cyclists between Gasworks Bridge and James Ruse Drive. Built at a cost of $19 million, its curved deck and distinctive arch make it one of the more striking modern bridges along the Parramatta River.
James Ruse Drive
James Ruse Drive Bridge opened in June 1966 as an early part of the Parramatta bypass, helping divert traffic around the town centre. Built from prestressed concrete, it takes its name from the road honouring James Ruse, the former convict whose pioneering farm at nearby Rose Hill helped demonstrate that settlers could become self-sufficient in food.
Camellia Railway Bridge
Camellia Railway Bridge crosses the Parramatta River between Camellia and Rydalmere. Its steel truss structure dates from the mid-1990s, replacing an earlier iron lattice bridge built for the Carlingford railway in the 1890s. Once used by suburban trains, the crossing has since been adapted for Parramatta Light Rail, continuing more than a century of rail transport across this stretch of river.
John Witton Bridge
At Meadowbank, two bridges stand side by side: the modern John Whitton railway bridge, opened in 1980, and the original iron lattice railway bridge from 1886. The older bridge was prefabricated in England and shipped to Australia, carrying trains for almost a century before being replaced. It reopened in 2000 as a pedestrian and cycling crossing between Meadowbank and Rhodes. The name honours John Whitton, the engineer who oversaw much of the expansion of the NSW railway network in the nineteenth century.
Gladesville Bridge
Gladesville Bridge opened on 2 October 1964, replacing an older crossing built in 1881. Its sweeping concrete arch spans 305 metres, making it the longest concrete arch span in the world when completed—a record it held until 1980. It was also among the first major bridges designed with computer assistance. Carrying Victoria Road between Drummoyne and Huntleys Point, its enormous arch is particularly impressive when seen from a ferry passing underneath.
