The collapse of a bridge

@JudyEv (351927)
Rockingham, Australia
April 27, 2025 7:11am CST
The photo shows a bridge which has collapsed. It is Pumphrey’s Bridge in Western Australia and wasn’t very far from the farm where I grew up. You can see the guide posts on the collapsed part. There is a much stronger bridge over the river now but you can free-camp along the edge of the river. This was a popular picnic spot in my time and Vince’s siblings held a picnic here years ago. Picnickers would swing out on a rope and drop into the river. It was also a popular camping spot for aborigine groups and a plaque recognises their attachment to the area. We stopped here to have lunch on our way home from our few days away.
12 people like this
11 responses
snowy
@snowy22315 (188525)
• United States
27 Apr
Why did it collapse? Does anybody know? Maybe it will be rebuilt.
2 people like this
snowy
@snowy22315 (188525)
• United States
29 Apr
@JudyEv It may have just been wood rot
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
@snowy22315 Yes or termites.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
They've built a new bridge. I can't find out why it collapsed.
2 people like this
Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (53188)
• Canada
27 Apr
I think it amazing to see a bridge, made of sturdy logs still intact, for the most part, in your photo. It brings a sense of nostalgia, I remember seeing the log beams in the barn at home when I was a child.
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Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (53188)
• Canada
29 Apr
@JudyEv There is something pretty about it, like seeing an old barn in the countryside. It leads the imagination to places that empty old buildings do for us.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
19h
@Juliaacv Just a mile or two up the road is a deserted building that is now falling down. It used to be a shop but gradually fell into disuse.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
It had been tested and found to be safe but evidently they missed something.
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rebelann1949
@rebelann (113867)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Apr
Are they going to simply leave it like that? The wood could be recycled for use instead of killing more trees.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
They've built a new bridge just a short distance to the south.
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OceanTiara
@RebeccasFarm (94392)
• Arvada, Colorado
27 Apr
Lovely eclectic photo Judy. Sounds like a very fun time back then. Where did you meet Vince anyway back then? Or maybe that's another post.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
Vince and I met when I joined the brass band and he was already a member.
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OceanTiara
@RebeccasFarm (94392)
• Arvada, Colorado
29 Apr
@JudyEv Aw lovely Judy thanks.
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Sanna_S
@psanasangma (7426)
• India
27 Apr
I would admit the scenery looks good. I believe the broken bridge will be fixed soon.
2 people like this
Sanna_S
@psanasangma (7426)
• India
30 Apr
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
They didn't fix this one but built a new one alongside.
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M Cheung
@Beestring (15279)
• Hong Kong
27 Apr
Hope the authorities will get the broken bridge fixed.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
They have built a new bridge just a few hundred metres to the south.
1 person likes this
Amber
@AmbiePam (97673)
• United States
27 Apr
It’s cool to imagine the history behind it.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
There is an old house nearby with a very sad history too.
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Always smiling
@allknowing (144751)
• India
28 Apr
How long ago was that and are there plans to repair it?
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
It was built in the late 1800s but I can't find out when it collapsed. There is a new bridge running almost alongside. We used to drive over it 60-odd years ago.
1 person likes this
DE
@DaddyEvil (146705)
• United States
27 Apr
I hope nobody was on the bridge when it collapsed.
1 person likes this
DE
@DaddyEvil (146705)
• United States
29 Apr
@JudyEv That probably means nobody was on it, then. Something like that gets noised about pretty quickly.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
I've never heard that there was anyone on the bridge when it collapsed. I couldn't find out much about it.
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Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (115172)
• Marion, Ohio
27 Apr
It's still a nice bridge. Would be great to build it back for a walking bridge
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
There is a camping area there, an old hall, toilets and an oval. It's a long way from anywhere if you were to walk.
1 person likes this
Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (20394)
• London, England
27 Apr
Thank goodness there is another bridge, although I suspect this one wouldn't be up to modern traffic
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr
We would drive over it some 50-odd years ago. It was tested at one point and deemed safe for a few more decades so I'm not sure what caused it to collapse.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (351927)
• Rockingham, Australia
1h
@Ronrybs I'd l ike to find out how it came down. Maybe in a storm or from termites perhaps.
Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (20394)
• London, England
12h
@JudyEv At least no one was on it at the time!
1 person likes this