Bridge History

An extra vehicle bridge over the Eyre River at West Eyreton was badly needed to avoid long traffic detours for people on the south side of the river when cut off by floods.

Four possible sites were considered, at Ellis, Dixons, Wolffs and Pesters fords.

The suspension footbridge over Eyre River on Wolffs Rd at Horrellville was built by Rudolph Wolff and a group of helpers to enable his family and other local people to reach the West Eyreton School, Store and Post Office, when the river was in flood.

For Wolff, who was elected to the Eyre County Council in the mid 1920s, it was the culmination of nearly 25 years of campaigning for a bridge by his property.

In 1937, after the council had spent years considering a new bridge, Wolff purchased a small piece of land on the north bank of the Eyre for bridge towers and anchor pads. The work was done with the help of neighbours from 1945 to 1947 to a Public Works Department design with specifications checked by Professor Calvert of Canterbury University College.

The towers for the 189-foot long span were made of tram-lines from the streets of Christchurch and the wire ropes came from ex-navy stores and a West Coast coalmine.

When the 1951 flood washed out both road bridges over the Eyre, residents made use of the Wolff’s Rd footbridge to collect their mail and supplies from the north bank.

The bridge was also used for occupants of Eyrewell Forest Camp to reach socials and meetings at Cust. It was quite a test of nerves for people to walk across the swaying link at night by torchlight as the water swirled beneath them.

People continued to use the footbridge to avoid the 20-mile deviation through Oxford until the council put up signs forbidding such use for safety reasons.

For Cust’s Sake, pages 228-229

Peter Savage

Reference Bridge Over the Eyre; Geoff Anderson, The Press, 16 July 2001, p21

Notes on Wolffs Rd Foot Bridge – CDHRSOC fol P20 p 18