Richmond Bridge

Richmond Bridge was built by convict gangs between 1823 and 1825, hauling and dressing sandstone for a crossing on the road to the east coast, and it still carries cars. Six low arches, thick piers, grass banks and ducks on the water: it looks older than anything else in the country because it is. The village around it kept pace and then stopped, leaving a main street of Georgian shopfronts, a stone gaol from 1825 that predates the settlement at Port Arthur, and early churches on the rise. It is a short drive from Hobart, which makes it busy, but early or late the bridge is quiet and the reflection in the river is the picture everyone comes for.

History

The foundation stone was laid on 11 December 1823, and convicts built the bridge of sandstone from Butchers Hill, hauled in hand carts, finishing it in 1825; it was first called Bigge's Bridge after the royal commissioner John Thomas Bigge, who had seen the need for it in 1820. In 1832 George Grover, a gaoler hated for his ferocity in flogging prisoners, was pushed off the bridge after falling asleep drunk, and no one was convicted; in 2005 the bridge was added to the National Heritage List (Wikipedia, Richmond Bridge - Tasmania).

What's there

• The bridge itself - six sandstone arches from the 1820s, still open to traffic.
• Richmond Gaol - a small convict-era gaol of 1825, older than the one at Port Arthur.
• The Georgian main street - early nineteenth century shopfronts and cottages in sandstone and brick.
• St John's church - the 1830s Catholic church on the rise above the village.

When to go

November to April brings the warmest Tasmanian weather and long evenings for the drive out. Coach groups and Hobart day trippers arrive from mid morning through the afternoon, so early or late is far better for photographs. Village shops keep short hours and many close by late afternoon. Winter mornings can bring frost and fog sitting on the river.

Good to know

It is small: a bridge, a street and a gaol, and an hour covers it unless you stop to eat. The village leans heavily on tea rooms, fudge and lolly shops, with prices set for the coach trade. The bridge carries live traffic, so photographing it means watching for cars. Parking is tight on busy days and the riverside grass gets crowded.

Nearby

The Coal River Valley vineyards are next door, and Hobart is 25 minutes away.

Key facts