Bridge Road, Templestowe

There has been confusion with street numbers in Banksia Street. On each side of the bridge there was a different set of numbers. To avoid further confusion, it was decided last year to change the name of Banksia Street on our side of the river. The name of the road has now reverted to its original name "Bridge Road". 

Banksia St, Bridge St - also called Manningham Rd West ???

 The first river crossing from Heidelberg was a ford. The track from this ran through Sidney Ricardo’s land.  Ricardo was one of the early farmers who became a man of importance in the community. In 1857, he was elected to the Victorian Parliament representing South Bourke in the Legislative Assembly and he was a member of the Roads Board, being Chairman in 1864.

When a punt was installed, it was sited further downstream and at Ricardo's request the access road ran along the south boundary of his land. In 1855, work started on a bridge. The foundations were erected and a temporary footbridge was built across there until the bridge was completed many years later.

In 1857, the Roads Board discussed the condition of the road which was only a bush track. Six years later, the road was formed and fifty yards of metal put on it. At that time it was the custom to call a road by its destination, such as the farmer who lived along it. In this case the road led to a bridge. During the 1860's, the name Bridge Road was being used officially.

1974 02 DTHS Newsletter
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