Crossing the Spit by Graeme Andrews / A Manly tram awaited pedestrians on January 25, 1925.

Sydney’ early colonists were quick to discover the problems and pleasures of a long narrow isthmus of, mainly, sand and native vegetation that lead towards steep cliffs. The sandy part was on the Mosman side of a narrow and tidal affected channel. The cliffs were on the other side.
Getting across in the early days of settlement involved either swimming or rowing with one’s horse swimming astern.
This worked OK until wheeled vehicles became more common and it was about 1850 that Peter Ellery established a small hand-powered cable punt to ‘bridge’ the gap. I’m unsure just how he provided the power to pull the load but it was probably by a small capstan – and much effort. The original fare was six pence per person and one shilling and sixpence for a horse carried aboard.
The second Spit punt was Punt No.3, seen here on a postcard from the Gwen Dundon Collection.Ellery worked various hand-powered punts until 1888 when the government took over and soon installed the first steam-powered cable punt. After nearly 40 years, Ellery, or his family, must have been mighty glad!
A new steam punt was installed – Punt No. 3 – about 1910 and this punt shuttled across the gap until the new wooden opening road bridge was completed in 1924.
The first Spit steam punt c.1889-1910.Also carrying vehicles across the gap was a purpose-built tram punt. From about 1912 this vessel was used to provide and replace electric trams for operation on the Manly tram service. The trams reached The Spit on January 9, 1911.
Great care was needed to have the punt load and discharge promptly as the rails had to connect with those ashore and the tide had to be just right.
The 75ft by 25ft tram ferry outlasted the vehicular ferry as the trams in the Manly area worked on until 1939 and it then had to carry them all back to the main network.
Opening trials for the new bridge in November1924.It is an interesting political point that our electricity derived from burning coal, of which we had much, and the replacement buses burnt petrol and later diesel of which we had little – and imported almost all. This all happened when it was obvious that World War Two was looming and oil would have to be imported. The eventual replacement of the electric driven trams after 1961 showed that little had been learnt as Australia still had no oil wells that were commercial.
In the last year of work before the bridge opened, the old No.3 carried 300,000 cars and trucks and 50,000 horse vehicles. Bike numbers were never counted.
The old Spit bridge under demolition in 1959.
The tram punt retrieves the last Manly tram in 1939.The new wooden bridge was opened on December 23, 1924 by Premier Sir George Fuller, even though the Manly Council had outlaid the full £60,000. The outlay was recompensed by a toll and so busy was the traffic that the bridge become toll free in 1930. On January 1, 1929, 8,677 vehicles made the crossing, one lane in each direction.
To allow vessels to operate in each direction through the bridge a counter-balanced open span was included. The gap was 60ft (18.3m).
The operator of the lift-span had a set of red and green lights which he could use to hold vessels up on one side to allow others through first. Whichever side had the cruise ferry on it always got the first green light.
Sydney ferry SS Kirrule passes the near-completed bridge on October 30, 1924.After the war when petrol rationing had been removed it seemed that Australia’s economic boom – living off the sheep’s back – meant that most Australian families wanted to own a car. Most of them also wanted to go to the northern beaches on a sunny day and that meant two crossings of the Spit Bridge – and there were many boats there too to be considered.
Ideas of building a high level bridge across Middle Harbour were then, and later, howled down by those who lived in the areas that would be affected by the bridge.
Another low-level bridge was built alongside the old one and work began in 1952. Construction was by Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Co with the announced cost to be 2.2 million pounds. Like most such projects it was probably more as there were several construction delays.
The bridge opened on November 19, 1958, just in time for the Christmas holidays. There were two lanes each way and the lifting span worked about twice as quickly as had the old one – but it still opened so neither boat owners nor road users were ever pleased!
The pressure was on from both road and below. The green and red lights were often ignored by those more arrogant yacht and boat owners whose time was more important than that of lesser boat owners.
While taking a Lady class ferry through the opening with the lights green for me I met a large yacht coming through the other way against the red. He claimed sail had right of way! He received more damage than I did and I heard nothing of it later which somewhat surprised me, maybe there were too many witnesses, starting with the bridge operator.
The new Spit Bridge shows the form of the open swing span in 1988.Plans to add lanes on either side have been announced and disregarded, depending upon whether it was before or after an election. Whether the answer is a tunnel remains to be seen but any private boat that can’t fit under the bridge these days can have some very long periods floating about. But, perhaps to cheer up those car-drivers fuming about Spit delays … it was ever thus!