Attraction - Building and Structure, Natural
The Hampden Suspension Bridge was built in the year 1897, and opened to the public on 19 May, 1898. The bridge was named after Lord Hampden, who was the Governor of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899. When asked if his name might be given to the bridge, he replied "...I have ridden across Kangaroo Valley once or twice and should be very pleased to have my name connected with such a beautiful locality..."
The bridge is 77 metres long, and is the only surviving suspension bridge in New South Wales from the colonial period. It is reported to have utilised sophisticated structural engineering for its time, being supported by 28 steel wire ropes, formed into four groups of seven each; two groups, or cables, being on each side of the bridge. The bridge and its towers were built by one of the colony's principal contractors and stonemasons, Loveridge and Hudson, and the sandstone was sourced locally. Up to 40 men were employed in the construction of the bridge, and the total cost was 7,612 pounds. The 1897-98 Annual Report of the Department of Public Works noted that "at the point where the Moss Vale - Nowra Road crosses the Kangaroo River, the precipitous banks rising to a height of 70 feet from the river-bed, the difficulty of obtaining a foundation in the river, and the presence at the site of excellent building stone, led to the adoption of the suspension type as the most suitable".
The Hampden Bridge replaced an existing timber bridge which spanned the river. The old bridge was still in position on 19 May, the day the new bridge was opened, but it was washed away in a flood five days later.
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