There was always going to be a bridge built over the lower Murray River.
The following transcript is taken from the Adelaide newspaper “The Chronicle”, (edition dated 19th October 1933) and referring an earlier article written by the young reporter Langdon Bonython (later knighted to become Sir Langdon Bonython) who travelled down to the opening ceremony at “Edwards Crossing” (as Murray Bridge was referred to at that time)
“In 1865 Parliament voted £20,000 for the bridge. In 1866 it was ordered. In 1867-8 it arrived in sections. Then the fun began. The Government had selected Edward's Crossing. Every private member had some other place. Everyone thought his own scheme was perfect—and the other fellow's utterly impossible. "In a multitude of counsellors there is wisdom." Don't you believe it. In a multitude of counsellors there are all the elements of a free fight.”
The other place that the bridge could have been built was a place then known as “Thompson’s Crossing” which today we know as SWANPORT.
“Probably Murray Bridge wouldn’t have existed had they not dumped a bridge in the bush. That bridge has a curious story—and its story is the tale of Murray Bridge.”
Edward's Crossing in 1873 was a wild and desolate place. The eastern side of the river was almost impassable swamp. The western side was dense scrub. There were no cleared reads, not even when they built the bridge. They just dumped a costly structure in the middle of the bush and left it there. It was the first bridge across the Murray in South Australia. People got into the habit of calling it Murray Bridge. Then a few families came and settled about the banks of the river. Soon they formed a tiny village without a name, except the one generally bestowed by the travelling public.”
“Wild Times
“…. the wildest times Murray Bridge ever saw was when the bridge was under construction. You cannot dump a few hundred navvies into the scrub, miles from civilisation, without things happening. And they did happen. There was only one policeman. There were I don't know how many slygrog shops, besides a legitimate hotel run by W. A. Gerloff, …… Neither the hotel nor the grog shops could cope with the collective thirst of that miscellaneous collection of toiling humanity. When it wasn't working it was fighting— or watching a fight. When it wasn't doing any of these things it was drinking. It only slept when sheer exhaustion demanded that it should. The pioneer police officer— …. his name was Relby— was a wise man. He knew it was useless to interfere with these innocent pleasantries. So, like Nelson of old, he turned a blind eye on them. Only when things went too far did the law assert its majesty. Then the offenders were 'pinched' and chained to tamarisk trees growing along the river bank near where Noske's mill now stands.”
The road bridge was completed in 1879. In 1886 the road bridge also became a shared rail and road bridge (when the railway line to Melbourne was built). A separate rail bridge was completed in 1925.
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