Local Government
Swan
Region
Metropolitan
West Swan Rd Belhus
Municipal Inventory No: 638. The bridge stands on the site of a ford near Cruse's Mill (Henry Bull's Cottage/Belhus Estate P2536). The MI states it is Lot 30, 12571 West Swan Road, Ellenbrook.
Cruse's Mill, Belhus Estate
MRWA 915
Swan
Metropolitan
Constructed from 1896, Constructed from 1988
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| (no listings) |
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHP - Does not warrant assessment | Current | 14 May 2021 |
| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | ||||
| Statewide Lge Timber Str Survey | Completed | 11 Dec 1998 | ||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 29 Jul 1998 | Significant | |
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 30 Aug 2017 | Category 3 | |
Significant as the location of a place used to cross Ellen's Brook since the earliest years of the Colony.
The bridge is of timber, having been rebuilt in 1988, from the previous construction of 1850-51, as a footbridge, narrower than the original. The previous width of the bridge can be seen by the position of the piles and half caps supporting the present deck. The deck is constructed of jarrah railway sleepers.
The site where this bridge stands was used as a ford to cross Ellen's Brook from the earliest years of the colony. (Further downstream the valley sides were too steep to allow carts and other vehicles to pass easily.) A public road was surveyed on the west side of the Swan Valley in the early 1840s and led to this point near Cruse's Mill. However, no bridge was built across Ellen's Brook until 1850-51, when convict labour was made available for public works. At the time the bridge was built, a new road was surveyed and cleared between this point and the northern side of the new Upper Swan Bridge. This road remained a public highway for many years after the West Swan Road was re-routed, and part of it is still a public road (called Cruse Belhus Road).
Low
Historic site
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Present Use | Transport\Communications | Road: Bridge |
| Original Use | Transport\Communications | Road: Bridge |
| Type | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Other | TIMBER | Other Timber |
| General | Specific |
|---|---|
| OCCUPATIONS | Manufacturing & processing |
| DEMOGRAPHIC SETTLEMENT & MOBILITY | Settlements |
This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.