Bridges are not just functional, they can also be scenic and engineering attractions. Spare a few minutes to admire Bulga Bridge over Wollombi Brook. The Bulga Bridge is a representative example of Dare timber truss road bridges.
The Dare truss design is a variation of the Howe truss arrangement of the Allan truss design, substituting a pair of steel channels for the bottom steel chord and employing simplified bottom chord joints by eliminating the pin as used in the DeBurgh truss. By replacing the bottom timber chord with a steel member the structural performance of the bridge design was increased.
The Dare truss bridges have the highest survival rate of the five truss types, with 18 still in existence in 2009 (of the 44 built). In fact the first one, completed in 1905 over the MacDonald River at Bendemeer, is still in existence as a footbridge.
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