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In 1805,the Governor’s Road Committee listed 10 bridges on the Parramatta Road, ‘as this road
was a vital food supply route’, from Johnston's Creek (Annandale), to A’Beckett’s Creek (Parramatta), to the following specification
"16 feet wide with Four Sleepers of at least a foot and a half in diameter, either of ironbark
or blue gum, bedded on timber of the like dimensions, to be covered with three inch
planks, 16 feet long and properly secured by treenails of 1 1⁄2 inch diameter (DMR 1976)." -Timber Beam Bridges
Study of Relative Heritage Significance of RTA
Controlled Timber Beam Road Bridges in NSW
2000 (1.1MB PDF viewed 20 Feb 2012)
"TENDERS...Svdney Toll-At Twelve o'clock on Thursday, the 22nd September, 1842, will be put up to Auction, at the rear of the Colonial Treasury, Bent-street, Sydney, the lease for three mouths (commencing on the 1st day of October, 1942) of the Tolls and Dues authorised und imposed by the Act of the Governor and Council, 4th William IV , No 16, arising and to be collected at the Sydney Toll Gate near Annandale Bridge, on the road from Sydney to Parramatta. " - 1842 'TENDERS.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 20 September, p. 3, viewed 29 December, 2011, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12410477
"After John had rejected his tokens they were disposed of at a penny each by Thornthwaite to the toll gatekeeper at Annandale [Sydney], who passed them on in change to hapless wayfarers..." - Token - 1 Penny, John Allen, General Stores, Kiama, New South Wales, Australia, 1855
Sydney University from Parramatta Road with "Ashfield & Burwood" horse drawn carriage (pre 1874)
BRIDGE OVER Johnston's Creek , ANNANDALE. A deputation including John Young, then the Mayor of Leichhardt, waited on the Minister for Works to seek the widening of the bridge over Johnston's Creek at Annandale. It was stated that some little improvement had been carried out by utilising the original footpaths for the roadway, but that the space between the tramrails and the parapet of the bridge was insufficient for the vehicular traffic, and needed widening. The parapet also needed strengthening. Minister Wright's response was that the 14foot was sufficient and there was no need "for anyone using the road to run amuck into the tram". Any attempt to widen the bridge would be a waste of money. However, he would inspect the bridge and if it was found that the traffic a new bridge, provision would have to be made. -1884 'BRIDGE OVER Johnston's Creek , ANNANDALE.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 17 May, p. 9, viewed 20 February, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13570750
FJ Gibbs Esq MP, Collins Street Leichhardt wrote to correct the paper's assertion that the bridge was eventually widened by 7 feet at a cost of £80.
"The Annandale bridge had not been widened by a single hair's-breath", the only alterations in it that have been made being the substitution of an ordinance fence for a stone parapet- not in the interest of public safety - annd the widenting of the carriage way by 4 or 5 feedt, to the utter ex-tinction of both footways. - 1884 'THE ANNANDALE BRIDGE.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 2 September, p. 4, viewed 20 February, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13571546
The Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB) was established on 31 March, 1925 by An Act to provide for the water supply, sewerage and stormwater drainage of certain districts in and adjacent to the County of Cumberland, 1924 (Act No, 50, 1924). - www.records.nsw.gov.au (viewed 21 Feb 2012)
Sewerage Committee of Sydney City Council(27 Apr 1857-24 Dec 1889). The committee was abolished by the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Act, 1888
This Committee was responsible for the formation of sewers in the City, regulating the construction of house drains and their connection to the sewers, and approval of plans and specifications of sewers.
It was originally called the Committee of Sewers and City Improvements but seems to have operated separately and later came to be known as the Sewerage Committee....investigator.records.nsw.gov.au (viewed 21 Feb 2012)
Johnstone's Bay Storm-water Sewers Act 1894 No 28a (From New South Wales Acts As Made; 4 KB) AUSTLII
In his 1858 Social Map of Sydney, William Stanley Jevons observed
Fragments of Sewer Pipes Salt Glazed Earthenware Sewer and Storm Water pipes have been in use in Annandale for over a 100 years.
In 1899, the borough of Camperdown complained that they had spent £15,000 on sewerage system to improve the insanitary conditions resulting from the runnoff from the surrounding boroughs of Newtown, Petersham and Annandale flowed through dirty creek, the length of their municipality crossing Parramatta Road at the Toll Bar. Though the system worked well, it was not widely available and they were seeking funding from the Water and Sewerage Board to carry out further works. - 1899 'Camperdown.', Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW : 1870 - 1907), 18 November, p. 38, viewed 21 February, 2012, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71336597
In 1910, the secretary of the Albion Street Tennis Club in Annandale, wrote to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, former Mayor of Annandale, Allen Taylor, requesting the sweepings from Camperdown to be deposited on their Tennis court...more
The Federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 had a profound effect on postal services. Federation ended the era of the Colonial Post Office and paved the way for a nationally-integrated system of mail collection and delivery. The Postmaster General's Department (PMG) was established and control of posts and telegraphs passed to the Commonwealth of Australia.
In 1975 the PMG split into two forming the Australian Postal Commission (trading as Australia Post) and the Australian Telecommunications Commission (trading as Telecom Australia, now Telstra). The Australian Postal Commission was a statutory body and was required to operate without direct budget funding and to be financially self-sufficient...History of Australia Post viewed 21 Feb 2012
There is no stone parapet on the Southern side of the bridge - just a relatively modern fence (28 Decemeber 2012). A Plaque located on the Southern side of the bridge reads:
"Johnston's Creek
The creek crosses Parramatta Road here. It was named after Colonel George Johnston of Annandale House. A wooden bridge was built here n 1805. A toll bar was temporarily located near the bridge in 1839.
Historic Trail Plaque 9 Funded by The Commonwealth Government"