Description

The Paringa Bridge forms part of the Sturt Highway, carrying traffic across the Murray River between Renmark and Paringa. The Paringa Bridge is one of only four suspension bridges still spanning the Murray River, opening in January 1927. The bridge is of particular structural significance due to its advanced engineering which allows a section of the bridge to be raised to allow larger river traffic to pass through. This is crucial for our large fleet of commercial houseboats to move up and downstream as a part of their river experience. The bridge structure was designed and constructed in Adelaide and was to cater for both road and rail traffic, though you could be mistaken for thinking the road carriages were an afterthought, especially once you have driven across the bridge on the narrow laneways (especially if you are in a van, motorhome or truck)! With rail no longer operating in the region, the track section of the bridge has been converted to a pedestrian walkway and forms a part of the district's Tracks and Trails network. The lift-span section of the bridge continue to operate to this day with the bridge scheduled to lift at 9.30am and 2.30pm daily (depending on river traffic).