{"id":353394,"date":"2024-10-08T18:31:25","date_gmt":"2024-10-08T08:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=353394"},"modified":"2024-10-08T18:32:20","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T08:32:20","slug":"cooyar-celebrates-bridge-centenary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/10\/08\/cooyar-celebrates-bridge-centenary\/","title":{"rendered":"Cooyar Celebrates Bridge Centenary"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington with long-time Cooyar resident and former Rosalie Shire councillor Neville McNalty on the Swinging Bridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

October 8, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

The centenary of the original “Swinging Bridge” over Cooyar Creek at Cooyar was marked by a small ceremony in the nearby park on Friday.<\/p>\n

The celebration was organised by the Cooyar Progress Association and featured the unveiling of a new signboard, sponsored by Stanwell.<\/p>\n

The original Swinging Bridge was built in 1924 by a group of local men to enable residents who lived on the other side to get to town when the creek was in flood.<\/p>\n

Local dairy farmers also used the bridge to carry cream cans to the railway.<\/p>\n

The original bridge was damaged by floodwater several times and rebuilt, but the tragic 1988 flash flood – which washed away buildings in town and killed two residents – completely destroyed the structure.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, a government disaster grant enabled the current Swinging Bridge to be built, under the guidance of a retired engineer, Chris Van Espen, who had moved to Cooyar in 1985.<\/p>\n

This is the bridge which stands today, and although it’s no longer a vital structure for transport, it’s very popular with local residents … and tourists.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington congratulated the Cooyar Progress Association for organising the centenary celebration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe swinging footbridge is an iconic part of Cooyar and its history, and I was so pleased to join with the community for these celebrations,\u201d Mrs Frecklington\u00a0 said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe it is so important for communities to keep their history alive and celebrate these significant milestones.”<\/p>\n

A guest speaker on the day was former Rosalie Shire councillor – and long-time Cooyar resident – Neville McNalty who was related to one of the men who originally built the first bridge 100 years ago.<\/p>\n

[Photos: Nanango Electorate Office and Stanwell]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
What all the fuss was about … Cooyar’s famous swinging bridge spans Cooyar Creek<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Anja Van Espen, daughter of retired engineer Christoffel Van Espen who designed the new bridge in 1988, and former councillor Neville McNalty officially unveiled the new Swinging Bridge signboard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Deb Frecklington with Cooyar State School student Nate Ryan, who spoke at the ceremony,\u00a0 and members of the Cooyar Progress Association<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Deb Frecklington with students from Cooyar State School at the centenary event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cooyar residents gathered in Swinging Bridge Park for the unveiling of the sign and centenary celebration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The centenary of the original “Swinging Bridge” over Cooyar Creek at Cooyar was marked by a small ceremony in the nearby park on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":353396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,10],"tags":[70,1130],"yoast_head":"\nCooyar Celebrates Bridge Centenary - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The centenary of the original "Swinging Bridge" over Cooyar Creek at Cooyar was marked by a small ceremony in the nearby park on Friday.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/10\/08\/cooyar-celebrates-bridge-centenary\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cooyar Celebrates Bridge Centenary - 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