Moonlight Bridge

Moonlight Bridge once enabled people to cross the Preston River but is now demolished. The bridge was a private engineering initiative that provided a link between neighbours such as Assistant Surveyor Henry Ommanney (who lived in Moorlands) and Reverend Wollaston to cross the Preston River to attend St Mark’s Anglican Church services, visit family on either side and travel to Bunbury. It is said that Henry designed the bridge.

The structure was a timber footbridge built around 1840. Many early colonial figures of Bunbury walked the bridge, such as John Forrest, who used it to walk to school every day (reference). Many also celebrated life events with the bridge, such as weddings (reference). In 1898 Ada Mildred Rose was married to Walter Shirley Hales at the church and the Moonlight bridge was decorated with three flora arches which the bridal party crossed under to get to the Picton church (reference). The bridal party was photographed on the bridge and hopefully, these photographs still exist somewhere, as it was known to be 'a most picturesque spot’ (reference).

The bridge was later damaged by floodwaters and repaired by Gervaise Clifton, who managed his sister’s property, Moorlands. In 1910, another flood damaged the bridge and the Rose family objected to rebuilding it to maintain their privacy.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that the name “Moonlight” may have been connected with an Aboriginal named Moonlight, who fell from the bridge and drowned.

Local sources believe that an original post remains in situ, marking the location of Moonlight Bridge.

The Moonlight Bridge is often confused with Martin’s Bridge. Around 1965 a local historian, Theodora Sanders produced a newspaper article in the South Western Times titled ‘Flashback to History’ to clear up this confusion:

Theodora Sanders dispels some moonshine about Moonlight Bridge

One annoying thing in life to me is to call things by their wrong names. Like the so-called Moonlight Bridge damaged in recent Preston River flooding. Let’s call that bridge by its proper name - Martin’s Bridge. Moonlight Bridge probably doesn’t exist now. But i’ll tell you about that later.

Martin’s bridge was named after former Bunbury Road Board chairman Peter Martin. His farm, exactly opposite on the Glen Iris side of the bridge, was the original homestead of Jeffery Bros.’ farm, known as Glen Iris. Thomas and James Jeffery were partners. One lived at Glen iris, the other at the Waterloo end of the estate. Glen Iris had to wait many years to get martin’s Bridge. Road board members thought they were very far-seeing in fighting for it.

The board bought land on the Bunbury side and established a connection with Bunbury through Strickland street. The Glen iris side of the bridge was Moorland avenue. Jeffrey road began where it turned left a little lower down. Jeffrey road when surveyed connected the farms of Thomas and James Jeffrey and entered the main road between Picton and Waterloo.

When that road is laid down it will be the nearest route to Bunbury from the north. So old road board members had reason to feel pleased with themselves as they looked to the future.

Moonlight Bridge was a handbridge connecting Glen Iris, Moorlands and Picton with South Bunbury. Floods washed it away many years ago. The name Moonlight Bridge should be retained. Sandrige Estate expansion has taken a road to within a few hundred yards of the site of old Moonlight Bridge.

Opposite that site is Moorlands avenue which has never been formed. The route runs through swamp as well as through the farm. The land is so close to Bunbury that it would not be impossible for a traffic bridge to be built on the site of the old handbridge and named Moonlight Bridge.

I hope the name Martin’s bridge will be placed over the Glen Iris bridge and the memory of a good chairman retained.

-Theodora Sanders, circa 1965

Another photograph of the Moonlight Bridge can be seen in Phyllis Barne’s book Early Bunbury people and Places. The photograph is of Ada'‘s wedding in 1898.

Many thanks to Theodora’s granddaughter Margaret Sanders for the photographs and a copy of Theodora’s article in the South Western Times.

Information retrieved from Inherit with permission.