Historical information

The bridge over the Yarra River was initially opened September 22nd, 1961. Newspaper reports at the time of opening stated it linked Bolton Street, Eltham, with Fitzsimons Lane, Templestowe.

In 1955 the Country Roads Board (CRB) produced survey plans that showed proposed land acquisition for the future bridge and road approaches.

The 1955 plan shows that it was proposed to connect Fitzsimons Lane with Bolton Street in Eltham by a diagonal road across the river. The road connection would then continue along Bolton Street to Main Road. Prior to construction of the bridge the CRB modified the proposal significantly so that there was a new road parallel with Bolton Street and then curving to join Main Road at what was then its intersection with Old Eltham Road. This involved significantly more land acquisition and altered the pattern of land subdivision through this corridor.

Initially the new road was just a single two-way carriageway as it would have required a significant widening of the cutting on the Shire of Eltham side of the river. The road was officially un-named but was known locally as the Eltham-Templestowe Road. The 1966 Melway street directory and other 1960s editions also listed the road as the Eltham-Templestowe Road. In December 1970, Eltham Shire Council, in pursuance of the provisions of the Local Government Act, named it Templestowe Road.

The road was renamed Fitzsimons Lane around 1984 in conformity with the section south of the river.

In 1991 a new bridge was built to the west of the original bridge. Fitzsimons Lane was widened to four traffic lanes although on the Eltham side this was done within the limits of the existing cutting.


NEW BRIDGE STARTS THEM EXPLORING
Without any fanfares, Country Roads Board workmen on Friday afternoon put the finishing touches to the approaches, removed the barricades, and let the traffic roll over the new Yarra bridge linking Bolton Street, Eltham, with Fitzsimons Lane, Templestowe.
Over the week-end many “bridge watchers” who were making one of their periodic inspections of the progress on the new bridge found to their surprise that they could drive over it, so that people who had gone for a run out to Eltham suddenly found themselves wandering through Templestowe and Doncaster.
By Monday the word of the bridge’s opening had got around sufficiently for many regular travellers to the city from Eltham and beyond to vary the monotony by going to town via Templestowe and Kew instead of through Heidelberg.
They were surprised at the distances – about 3 ½ miles from Eltham to Templestowe, 6 miles from Eltham Shire hall to the Lower Heidelberg Road-Banksia Street intersection.
NEW NEIGHBOURS
For people on both sides of the river, the new bridge has turned distant friends into near neighbours.
A Greensborough man on Sunday took 35 minutes to reach the home of a friend in East Doncaster, but the return trip over the new bridge took only 17 minutes.
It will be some time yet before most people work out the possibilities in shorter and quicker trips form the north-eastern areas to the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
The coming of the warmer months will soon teach many, though the short cuts to Peninsular beaches and eastern suburban drive-ins.
And before very long it is likely there will be a Tramways bus running from Templestowe to Eltham station.
NEW BRIDGE STARTS THEM EXPLORING (1961, September 27). The Diamond Valley News
(News clipping held in SEA_74-1_047)


The previously un-named road between Main Road and Yarra River, Eltham South, east of Bolton Street was named Templestowe Road, December 15, 1970
NAMING OF STREETS AND ROADS. (1970, December 15). The Diamond Valley News
(News clipping held in SEA_74-2_022)

Physical description

Black and white photograph

Inscriptions & markings

Manufacturer's marks: Polaroid, Batch #J62K181 (Sep 1966).