Port Augusta Punt, SA
The following research and text was prepared by Rex Glencross-Grant
This punt was not a conventional cable drawn punt, but rather one that was initially towed or propelled by a rowing boat and later by a motor launch. This was a very unusual occurrence and usually only applied if there were tidal differences and the crossing was wide. A similar innovation used a motorised launch that shepherded a vehicle punt across a tidal inlet at Forester-Tuncurry, NSW. These may be only a few that operated as such in Australia.
Given the inconvenience and unreliability of the operation, it is understandable why locals petitioned for many years for the punt to be replaced by a bridge, as this article:
PORT AUGUSTA PUNT: PETITION TO PROVIDE BETTER FACILITIES FOR WEST COAST TRAVELLERS.
The present Port Augusta punt, for many years a constant inconvenience to the travelling public is one of the most antiquated and cumbersome means of transport in South Australia. Only two cars are allowed on the punt at each trip, and these have to run through water up to six inches deep when boarding. The barge like structure is towed across by means of a motor launch (of which there are three). One or more of these launches are often out of commission and motorists are continually being held up on either side of the Gulf, sometimes for several hours at a time. The distance across is perhaps one quarter of a mile for which a charge of 6/- is made to carry a motor car, 10/- Sundays and 10/- after 5 p.m. daily . A bridge is absolutely necessary. This could be constructed at a reasonable cost, within a few hundred yards of the Port Augusta West jetty where a rocky bottom crosses the gulf. Travellers would willingly pay the same fee to cross a bridge if constructed.
A petition signed by residents of Eyre Peninsula was forwarded this week to the Premier of South Australia through the members for the district, who know from personal experiences the disabilities to which travellers are subjected. The petition directs the attention of the Government to the entirely unsatisfactory conditions obtaining at Port Augusta, and although the Government no doubt recognises the fact that there is an ever-increasing demand for the punt service, yet there have been no improvements for many years. For the large number of people who travel to and from the West Coast and the metropolis, this is the only route except by the steamers. Residents submit this request and trust that the Government will accord it prompt and favorable [sic] consideration .
According to online sources, there are remains of a small punt in the mangroves on the western side of the former railway abutment at the old salt works. This needs to be investigated at a local level.
1927-7 July: Bridge Opening - Gateway to the West
Port Augusta is at the head of Spencer Gulf and the dividing point for northbound and westbound traffic. A timber and steel bridge was built in 1926 to replace an unserviceable punt service. The timber deck was supported on rolled steel joists but was only about four metres wide. It was later widened, but this did not prove suitable for increasing traffic volumes. One of the last services provided by the punt operator, Mr Alf McCarthy. The completed timber and iron bridge is shown in the background.
There are now two gateways to the West from South Australia. One is the railway from here to Kalgoorlie and a second one which is of incalculable value to South Australia, was opened to-day. For many years there has seen an agitation for a bridge to connect Port Augusta with Port Augusta West, and the ambitions and hopes of the pioneers were realized to-day, when the new bridge was opened by the Commissioner of Crown Lands (Hon. G. F. Jenkins), who officiated in place of His Excellency tie Governor (Sir Tom Bridges), who was unable to attend, owing to illness. It was a gala day in Port Augusta, and nearly 2,000 people saw Mr. Jenkins sever the blue, ribbon on. the eastern side of the splendid structure. There were visitors from, many centres, and now Port Augusta will he the gateway to the far-flung points of Eyre's Peninsula, and the completion of the work will be or immense value to the State.
The work was carried out by Messrs. Atkins & Finlayson, of Adelaide, and is a great credit to that firm. The new bridge is a timber pile structure a little over 1,000 ft. in length, excluding approaches, and 32 ft. wide between piers the work was carried out at a cost of £21,481, including 10 per cent, on contract price allowed for contingencies. After the construction was put in hand representations from local residents were made to the Department of Highways and Local Government, and a footway along one side was included in the structure. The additional work cost £1,300, and was undertaken mainly for the safety of school children, who will use the crossing. The roadway is 16 ft. wide…
anted for 30 Years
In asking the Commissioner of Crown Lands to declare the bridge open, the Mayor (Mr. Hunter) expressed regret at the inability of His Excellency the Governor to perform the opening ceremony. The Governor, he said, was suffering from a severe attack of tonsilitis. Mr. Hunter Baid that July 7, 1927, would go down in the history of Port Augusta as a red letter day. There had been an agitation for the bridge for nearly 30 years, and now their ambitions for the bridge across the Gulf had been realized. The bridge would tend to further develop Eyre's Peninsula, and the whole of the residents of that vast area would. Like the people of Port Augusta benefit immensely by its erection. There had been many suggestions to overcome the difficulty of the old punt system, but it was finally realized that there was only one solution to the problem, and that was to erect a bridge. It would mean increased productivity, not only to the north, but to the whole of the state, and Eyre's Peninsula in particular. It would provide something definite in the future development of the vast country west of Port Augusta, and the money expended on its construction would be returned many times over to the Government.
In declaring the bridge open, Mr. Jenkins, mentioned that when it was first suggested that the Governor should perform the important' ceremony' he (Sir Tom) readily assented, and added that it was a most important work, and would hav9 a/marked influence on the future of South Australia, and also the development of the western side of Spencer's Gulf. He sincerely regretted that His Excellency was unable to attend that day. He had not been aware until that day that the agitation for a bridge across the gulf at Port Augusta had been going on for 30 years, but he did know that there had been considerable agitation since 1914. At one time it had been considered that a pontoon bridge would serve the purpose, and it had been estimated that that work would cost £15,000, and it was then decided to make an estimate of the cost of the bridge. Plans had been drawn up, and the approximate cost was estimated at £25,000. He was sure that the Government of the day which preceded the present one had been very wise in determining that the difference between a punt service and an up-to-date structure was not such to preclude the carrying out of the latter scheme. (Applause.) That Government had been justified in proceeding with the bridge, the cost of which was £21,484 , and subsequently the contractor (Messrs. Atkins & Finlayson) had provided a footway at an additional cost of £1,300.
The contractors had carried structure was a great credit to them. Their contract demanded that the work should be completed within 12 months, and it was pleasing to know that they had completed the big undertaking within six days of the term of the contract. The bridge would assist tremendously in further opening up Eyre's Peninsula, and it would also be of great benefit to the whole of the. State. Taxpayers would have to hear is mind the 'fact that, when important public works were carried out, they must bear their share of the cost. Many people had wondered what name would be given to the new structure, and as it embodied a national as well as a State influence it had been agreed to call it the Great Western Bridge. (Applause.) The Minister then declared the bridge open for traffic.
In 1972 a large 20-span prestressed concrete bridge was built that curves gracefully from the eastern road alignment of the former bridge to Port Augusta West. (Phillips, 1983).
A vehicular ferry, MV Troubridge , plied its trade from Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island (Kingscote) to Adelaide as a roll-on-roll off ferry. She was replaced in June 1987 by Island Seaway. After a number of successive overseas owners (including a North Korean registration), Troubridge was scrapped in Turkey in 2004. Island Seaway plied the route between 1987 and 1995 when she was sold to Malta. She is now named Flying Viking and is classified as an accommodation vessel.
Bibliography
GATEWAY TO THE WEST. (1927, July 7). The Register (Adelaide, SA: 1901 - 1929), p. 13. Retrieved 23 August 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55037671
Port Augusta. (2025, January 12). In Wikipedia. Accessed on 29 Jan. 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Augusta
References
PORT AUGUSTA PUNT. (1925, April 25). West Coast Sentinel (Streaky Bay, SA: 1912 - 1954), p. 1. Retrieved January 29, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168236581
GATEWAY TO THE WEST. (1927, July 7). The Register (Adelaide, SA: 1901 - 1929), p. 13. Retrieved 23 August 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55037671
Phillips, V., 1983 Bridges and Ferries of Australia, Bay Books, Kensington, NSW, ISBN 0 85835 568 X.
