Bodie Creek Bridge

The bridge over Bodie Creek south of Goose Green was prefabricated in England, shipped out and erected in 1925 to save the sheep drive around the head of the inlet, and it is generally described as the southernmost suspension bridge in the world. It carried traffic until the 1990s and is now closed and rusting, the deck unsafe, standing over the creek with nothing else in view. Goose Green, the settlement it served, ran one of the largest sheep operations in the islands and the crossing was built for its stock.

History

A bridge across Bodie Creek was first proposed in 1922, when the Falkland Islands Company was concentrating the shearing of its Lafonia flocks at Goose Green, so that sheep from Walker Creek could be driven there without the long detour around the inlet; the company approved the plan on 31 March 1924. It bought the bridge as a kit from David Rowell and Co of London for £2,281 and shipped it out on the SS Ballena, and the engineer Charles P. Peters put it up with a stonemason and a gang of about 14 navvies between October 1924 and July 1925; with the approach roads finished by October 1925, it opened in time for the shearing season (Wikipedia, Bodie Creek Suspension Bridge).

What to look for

• The suspension span - a prefabricated 1925 bridge shipped from England.
• The southernmost claim - generally cited as the world's most southerly suspension bridge.
• The purpose - a crossing built to save driving sheep around the inlet.
• The isolation - a bridge standing with nothing else in sight.

When to go

October to April is the practical season. Winter tracks become difficult. Late light on the structure is best.

Practical notes

The bridge is closed and unsafe and should not be walked on. The track out needs four wheel drive and soft ground bogs vehicles. There is nothing else at the site.

Nearby

Goose Green is north, and Darwin is northeast.

Key facts