The best bridges in Melbourne, ranked and rated

Not only does the Bolte Bridge offer one of the best views of Melbourne’s city skyline, but it’s also a pretty sight to see from a distance – especially if you imagine the two enormous concrete box girders as two middle fingers to Bolte’s main rival, the West Gate. Bolte also has the duty of connecting the West Gate, Monash and Tullamarine freeways, which makes it an extremely important bridge. It was named after the former premier of Victoria, Sir Henry Bolte. By the way, not that we’re bragging, but the Bolte is the largest balanced cantilever cast in situ box girder bridge in Australia. Take that… other bridges. 

Length: 5000m
Type: Cantilever
Traffic: Cars
Opened: 1999

There is possibly no bridge in Melbourne, nay Australia that is more infamous than the Montague Street Bridge. Woe betide the driver who underestimates the height of their vehicle when crossing underneath this bridge, located in Southbank. Despite the fairly obvious danger stripes and “LOW CLEARANCE 3.0M” sign, this bad boy of bridges is famous for regularly decapitating trucks and other large vehicles. It’s become such a folk anti-hero that it even has a website counting the days since a vehicle last collided with it, plus its own Twitter account. Fun fact: the bridge is so unusually short due to the road being raised in the 1930s to minimise flooding.

Length: Roughly 20m (and importantly, only three metres tall)
Type: Railway bridge
Traffic: Light rail (specifically the route 109)
Opened: 1914

Yes, for all the grammar pedants, the Princes Bridge was originally called the Prince’s Bridge (after Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII) but naturally, we got lazy, and they ditched the apostrophe (actually, there’s a policy that possessive apostrophes can’t be used in place names – nuts). This is probably one of Melbourne’s most known bridges, as it’s featured in hundreds if not thousands of photos of Melbourne’s city skyline. Not to mention just how many people you see taking photos from it every single day. It’s not the bridge’s fault, it’s in a prime location, connecting the centre of Melbourne’s Hoddle Grid to its arts precinct and Alexandra Gardens. Fun fact: the Princes Bridge was preceded by a wooden toll bridge (not to be confused with a troll bridge). Actually there are heaps of fun facts about this bridge – you should read the Wikipedia article. 

Length: 120m
Type: Arch bridge
Traffic: The whole shebang – pedestrians, cyclists, cars and trams. 
Opened: 1886

Say hello to Melbourne’s biggest (though not its longest) bridge. Anyone who’s ever driven over the West Gate has to admit the view from 58 metres in the air is pretty impressive, with the city and West Gate “pink lake” Park on one side, and the shipyards on the other. As well as being huge, the bridge is also hugely busy, despite having five lanes in each direction. However, it’s important to note that the West Gate also has a tragic past. During its construction in 1970, part of the bridge collapsed killing 35 workers and injuring an additional 18. In 2009 permanent barriers were installed along the bridge following the murder of Darcey Freeman.

Length: 2,582.6m
Type: Cable-stayed box girder
Traffic: Cars
Opened: 1978

This pedestrian and bike bridge crosses the Yarra River near Docklands. It’s known mostly because of its distinctive spider web-like frame and that sharp hairpin turn that almost always ends with a collision between a speedy cyclist and an unaware pedestrian. Webb Bridge was designed by Robert Owen for the Docklands Authority. According to Owen, “the bridge is an analogy of Koori fishing traps and the gestural flow of the river below… The design [was] developed out of a desire for a symbolic and poetic demonstration of reconciliation and indigenous history provided a source of its inspiration.”

Length: 225m
Type: Girder bridge
Traffic: Pedestrian and cyclists
Opened: 2003

The Sandridge Bridge actually dates all the way back to 1853, but the one you can see today was constructed three decades later (and was partly worked on by John Monash). This old rail bridge was used by trains right up until 1987 when its line was converted into a tram route, but it wasn’t until 2006 that Sandridge Bridge was reopened as a pedestrian and cyclist bridge. The bridge is notable for being home to The Travellers – a public artwork by Nadim Karam featuring nine moving sculptures representing the many immigrants who came to Melbourne.

Length: 178.4m
Type: Girder
Traffic: Pedestrians and cyclists
Opened: 1888

There’s no doubt that Morell Bridge, which runs over the Yarra at Anderson Street in South Yarra, is an underrated gem. It doesn’t get the praise or traffic as Princes Bridge, and it’s often overlooked by the neighbouring Hoddle Bridge. But Morell is a lot cooler than you’d expect – especially when you lean in closer and notice there are huge dragon motifs edged all over it. And yeah, it’s heritage listed. NBD. 

Length: 102m
Type: Arch bridge
Traffic: Pedestrians and cyclists
Opened: 1899

Hoddle Bridge is the reason why southsiders also get to experience the particular “joy” that is driving along Punt Road. This five-arch white concrete bridge connects foot and road traffic from Richmond (well, Cremorne) to South Yarra in style, with Art Deco columns and balustrades lining the bridge. Despite the busy road traffic, it’s a pretty nice bridge to cross on foot thanks to its western views over the Yarra, city and AAMI Park.

Length: Roughly 200m
Type: Arch bridge
Traffic: Pedestrians, cyclists and cars
Opened: 1938

Oh, the clickety clackety of riding over Seafarers Bridge on your bike. What a thrill! But hey, Seafarers is also a pleasant joy for pedestrians, connecting the north and south banks of the Yarra and making it easy to access the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and DFO South Wharf. The two elliptical arches are also very striking.

Length: 75m
Type: Cable-stayed bridge
Traffic: Pedestrians and cyclists
Opened: 2009