Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Glymur
Bones on display in the museum.
RSU Anatomy Museum
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The Phono Museum features decades of different sound technology.
Phono Museum Paris
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Ivan the Terra Bus
The Bus, the Myth, the Legend: Ivan the Terra Bus
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Richmond Richmond Bridge
AO Edited

Richmond Bridge

It's beautiful, it's haunted and its claim to fame is that it's the oldest existing stone arch bridge in Australia.

Richmond, Australia

Added By
Enjoy Tasmania
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Atsushi Kase/CC BY-SA 2.0
  chris.baxter/CC BY-ND 2.0
  Rexness/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Michael Coghlan/CC BY 2.0
  Michael Coghlan/CC BY 2.0
  Atsushi Kase/CC BY-SA 2.0
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Bridges are commonplace, so what makes the Richmond Bridge in Tasmania such a unique destination? It has the distinction of being Australia's oldest existing stone arch bridge. Bigge's Bridge was named after Royal Commissioner John Thomas Bigge, who suggested the bridge's construction in 1820.

It was constructed by incarcerated laborers, men imprisoned in the nearby Richmond Gaol, which was a regular practice at the time for big construction and road projects. These incarcerated workers were forced to mine sandstone from nearby Butchers Hill and deliver it to the site using carts.

The start of bridge construction cemented Richmond as an important town in the settlement of Van Diemen's Land, not just as a farming area. The village was bustling as private dwellings and two inns were built. In January 1825, the Richmond Bridge was built and opened. The whole length was 41 meters (135 feet), while the breadth was 7.5 meters (25 feet). It possessed the largest span of any bridge in Australia at the time, and it retained that record until 1836. Brown Triassic sandstone was used to build it.

The construction was superb, and the bridge has lasted nearly 200 years with relatively minor maintenance. It was built to accommodate wheat carts, but it's still in service today, carrying significantly heavier vehicles.

The ghost of George Grover is one of the many mysteries surrounding the bridge. George was brought to Tasmania as a convict and was later made a flagellator and put in charge of a group of convicts who were repairing the bridge's piers. George was an unlikable figure, even for a flagellator. He was believed to ride on the sandstone carts that convicts dragged from Butchers Hill, flogging them as if they were horses. There have been many reported sightings of George Grover's ghost peering out from the western side of the Richmond Bridge. The ghost of George Grover's dog is reported to wander besides individuals who cross the bridge at night.

Thousands of people visit the Richmond Bridge each year. Unlike many historic sites, there is no barrier preventing you from accessing the entire site. In fact, you can walk right over it and under the outer arches. There is no one there to collect an admission ticket; the bridge is open at all hours and is free to enter.

Both sides of the river have grassy riverbanks, which offer a lovely site for a picnic and feeding the ducks. On the south side, there are two huts with gas barbecues, or you may buy lunch from one of the neighbouring cafés and enjoy it on the riverside while admiring the view. A viewing platform on the south side is a popular spot for tourists and wedding couples from the nearby St John's Church to take photos. There's also a trail along the riverbank where you may walk and observe the tranquilly.

Related Tags

Bridges Stone Local History

Community Contributors

Added By

Enjoy Tasmania

Edited By

Collector of Experiences, Michelle Cassidy

  • Collector of Experiences
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

September 7, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://richmondtasmania.com.au/things-to-do/richmond-bridge/
Richmond Bridge
Bridge St
Richmond, 7025
Australia
-42.733889, 147.44
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Pooseum

Richmond, Australia

miles away

Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

Berriedale, Australia

miles away

The Ruins of the Beaumaris Zoo

Queens Domain, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Richmond

Richmond

Australia

Places 2

Nearby Places

Pooseum

Richmond, Australia

miles away

Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

Berriedale, Australia

miles away

The Ruins of the Beaumaris Zoo

Queens Domain, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Richmond

Richmond

Australia

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

11 Haunted Bridges That You'll Just Have to Cross When You Get to Them

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • The lush, forest surroundings of the Natural Bridge of Arkansas make fall a great time to visit.

    Clinton, Arkansas

    Natural Bridge of Arkansas

    This sandstone marvel of nature is worth a stop along Highway 65.

  • West Bridgewater, Massachusetts

    Solitude Stone

    This solitary stone engraved with a poem from 1852 has a mysterious and tragic past.

  • The monument to the origin of Funabashi.

    Funabashi, Japan

    13 Bridges of the Ebi River

    A bronze ship jutting out of a bridge, a commemoration of Osamu Dazai, a sculpture created by 30 manga legends, and more.

  • The Bridge  Behind the Town

    Bocairent, Spain

    The Bridge Behind the Town and the Tax Collector's Cave

    On market days, a tax collector sat in a small cave at the end of this arched bridge.

  • Great Yarmouth, England

    Suspension Bridge Disaster Memorial

    On May 2, 1845, crowds gathered to watch a clown and four geese sail upstream in a bathtub. Then disaster struck.

  • Stone Lady of Black Hammer

    Black Hammer Township, Minnesota

    Stone Lady of Black Hammer

    This cairn in the shape of a woman has looked over a tiny Minnesota town for well over a century.

  • Donkey Lady Bridge

    San Antonio, Texas

    Old Applewhite Bridge

    On the outskirts of San Antonio, a small bridge is said to be the home of a mysterious local legend known as the "Donkey Lady."

  • Pont du Diable, Toulon-sur-Arroux

    Toulon-sur-Arroux, France

    Pont du Diable (Devil's Bridge)

    A bridge that dates back to the 12th century is said to have made the devil very angry.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.