StateLibQld 1 189935 Indooroopilly Toll Bridge and the Albert Bridge, Brisbane, ca. 1937

Indooroopilly Toll Bridge and the Albert Bridge, Brisbane, ca. 1937
Both these bridges span the Brisbane River from Indooroopilly to Chelmer, at the junction of the Chelmer and Indooroopilly reaches. The Albert Bridge, which is a 'hogsback' steel truss bridge on masonry piers, was constructed in 1894-95 being integral to the southwest railway system linking Brisbane with Ipwich, the Darling Downs, and southeast Queensland. It replaced an earlier Albert Bridge which was built in 1876 and destroyed by the disastrous 1893 Brisbane flood. Both bridges were named in honour of the Prince of Wales, Prince Albert. The second bridge was designed by Henry Charles Stanley, Queensland's Chief Engineer of Railways from 1892 to 1901. In designing the bridge as two long spans with one central pier, Stanley sought to avoid the obstruction to flood waters posed by multiple piers, which had been the downfall of the first bridge.

The Indooroopilly Toll Bridge is the longest span suspension bridge in Australia. It was erected at a cost of £85 000 from 1932-36 by Brisbane contractor, Walter Taylor. Taylor was the inspiration behind the project, the originator of the design concept, a director and secretary of Indooroopilly Toll Bridge Ltd., and the principal fund raiser. The bridge was erected in stages over four years, with work commencing on the Indooroopilly pylon in 1932. The residential accomodation provided in each of the towers remains unique in Australia.