Discovering Paringa's Hidden Gem: The Scenic Historical Bridge on the Murray River

Winter in South Australia is cold and rainy a majority of the time. This can mean staying inside, rugging up and being cosy which is lovely some of the time but as soon as the sun comes out and it is a warm day it is my signal to head out and enjoy an adventure. This week I have been doing some research on the bridges of South Australia and I decided to hit the road and head to Renmark to get some pictures and test out the drone on the historical Paringa Bridge in Renmark.

I know a lot of people see bridges as simply a way to get from one side of an obstacle to the other but some bridges really are note worthy, scenic and interesting. This is one of them.

Opened in January of 1927 and heritage listed in 1989, it was originally made to facilitate a rail line. Amazingly the rail line was in the middle with one direction of car traffic on either side. The bridge is barely wide enough for a car so it is really something to witness a roadtrain squishing down the narrow lane of the bridge. The railway line in the centre has been converted into a footbridge so you can walk the length of the bridge and be part of all the action.

The bridge is also one of only two lift span bridges in South Australia. This amazing feat of engineering allows a section of the bridge to lift 9.1 metres in only 90 seconds to allow boats to travel underneath. If you would like to see this for yourself the bridge lifts daily at 9:30am and 2:30pm depending on what river traffic needs to go through.

The riverfront near the bridge has a beautiful riverside park with BBQs and toilets. They have created some informative walks in the area so if it is a nice day check out some of the paths. There is a community museum adjacent to the bridge however it is only open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Another really interesting feature of the Murray River in Renmark is the lock 5. The weirs along the Murray help with water management but mean that the boats can not access the other sections of the river. To alleviate this, locks were constructed beside the weirs.

A lock operates by using a water chamber adjacent to the river. Boats enter this chamber, and the gates are closed. The water level is then adjusted up or down, after which the gates are reopened, allowing the boats to leave at the new water level. Presently, there are thirteen locks on the Murray River.

If you are heading through this area or staying nearby it is worth a visit. If you are in Adelaide it is a 3hr drive so maybe make it a weekend on the Murray. You will defontely not regret it!!