The collapse of a bridge

@JudyEv (381904)
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.
13 people like this
12 responses
snowy
@snowy22315 (208801)
• United States
27 Apr 25
Why did it collapse? Does anybody know? Maybe it will be rebuilt.
2 people like this
snowy
@snowy22315 (208801)
• United States
29 Apr 25
@JudyEv It may have just been wood rot
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
@snowy22315 Yes or termites.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
They've built a new bridge. I can't find out why it collapsed.
2 people like this
Juliaacv
@Juliaacv (56227)
• Canada
27 Apr 25
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 (56227)
• Canada
29 Apr 25
@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.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
30 Apr 25
@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 (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
It had been tested and found to be safe but evidently they missed something.
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rebelann1949
@rebelann (117211)
• El Paso, Texas
27 Apr 25
Are they going to simply leave it like that? The wood could be recycled for use instead of killing more trees.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
They've built a new bridge just a short distance to the south.
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OceanTiara
@RebeccasFarm (91299)
• United States
27 Apr 25
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 (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
Vince and I met when I joined the brass band and he was already a member.
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OceanTiara
@RebeccasFarm (91299)
• United States
29 Apr 25
@JudyEv Aw lovely Judy thanks.
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Sanna_S
@psanasangma (7910)
• India
27 Apr 25
I would admit the scenery looks good. I believe the broken bridge will be fixed soon.
2 people like this
Sanna_S
@psanasangma (7910)
• India
30 Apr 25
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
They didn't fix this one but built a new one alongside.
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M Cheung
@Beestring (15373)
• Hong Kong
27 Apr 25
Hope the authorities will get the broken bridge fixed.
2 people like this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
They have built a new bridge just a few hundred metres to the south.
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Amber
@AmbiePam (120630)
• United States
27 Apr 25
It’s cool to imagine the history behind it.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
There is an old house nearby with a very sad history too.
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Ptrikha_2
@ptrikha_2 (49753)
• India
1 May 25
Oh that is shocking! I hope that nobody was hurt. Were people around when this happened? I hope that this has been repaired. Do you come across any Aboriginal groups any time? And do Aboriginal people mix up now or they still tend to stay away?
1 person likes this
Ptrikha_2
@ptrikha_2 (49753)
• India
4 May 25
@JudyEv I can understand. In those areas, they would want privacy and may be that is why they could even be unkind to stangers. Are any of those areas demarcated as "Restricted entry areas"? In the island chain of Andaman and Nicobar in Bay of Bengal(South east of Indian mainland), there are Tribal islands where it is unlawful to enter. Some mad folks tried going there and one westerner was even killed. His news made headlines a few years back.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
2 May 25
No-one was around when the bridge collapsed as far as I know. There is a new bridge alongside it. Any aboriginals in our area are just like us, holding similar jobs, etc. It's only across the far north that they keep to themselves in camps. The environment there is not conducive for most white people.
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Always smiling
@allknowing (153544)
• India
28 Apr 25
How long ago was that and are there plans to repair it?
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
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 (174296)
• United States
27 Apr 25
I hope nobody was on the bridge when it collapsed.
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DE
@DaddyEvil (174296)
• United States
29 Apr 25
@JudyEv That probably means nobody was on it, then. Something like that gets noised about pretty quickly.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
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 (135643)
• Marion, Ohio
27 Apr 25
It's still a nice bridge. Would be great to build it back for a walking bridge
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
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.
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Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (21503)
• London, England
27 Apr 25
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 (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Apr 25
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.
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Judy Evans
@JudyEv (381904)
• Rockingham, Australia
1 May 25
@Ronrybs I'd l ike to find out how it came down. Maybe in a storm or from termites perhaps.
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Ron Rybs
@Ronrybs (21503)
• London, England
30 Apr 25
@JudyEv At least no one was on it at the time!
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