page_title: The Causeway
section_title: Second Causeway
hierarchical_section_title: The Causeway / History / Second Causeway
caption_attribution_description: English: The Causeway in Perth, Western Australia in 1906. This causeway, which was made up of three bridges, was removed after the construction of the new Causeway in 1952.
context_page_description: The Causeway is an arterial traffic crossing in Perth, Western Australia, linking the inner-city suburbs of East Perth and Victoria Park. It is carried over the Swan River at the eastern end of Perth Water by two bridges on either side of Heirisson Island. The current Causeway is the third structure to have been built across the river at this point.
  Originally the site of mudflats which restricted river navigation, the Colony Government constructed a causeway and bridge across the site. The project was first planned in 1834 and opened in 1843. When floods in 1862 almost destroyed it, the structure was rebuilt using convict labour, and raised to better withstand future floods. Governor John Hampton officially opened the new Causeway on 12 November 1867. Over the following decades, the three bridges making up this second Causeway were widened several times, and they were eventually replaced in 1952.
  The current Causeway bridges were designed by E W C Godfrey, and built between 1947 and 1952. They were the first in Western Australia to use steel composite construction. Large roundabouts were also constructed at each end of the structure, to improve the flow of traffic.
context_section_description: In June 1862 major flooding was experienced in many towns in the region, resulting in losses over £30,000. In Perth, Mounts Bay Road was completely submerged, and the original causeway was almost destroyed after being under seven or eight feet (2.1 to 2.4 m) of water. However, Governor John Hampton ordered that the causeway should be reconstructed and raised several feet. The new Causeway was designed by Richard Roach Jewell and built by convicts.
  The opening of the newly refurbished Causeway was a more pompous affair than that of the first Causeway. The second causeway was to be opened by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Alfred; however the Royal Navy ship HMS Galatea failed to call in to Western Australia on its way to Sydney. As a result, the Governor proceeded with the opening in the Duke's absence. On 12 November 1867 the Governor drove "through an avenue of flags and bunting" from Government House to the Causeway. There were military corps, a band and a great crowd present for the opening. After speeches by dignitaries, the Governor declared the new Causeway open with the following words:
  I, John Stephen Hampton, Governor in and over the Colony of Western Australia, do hereby declare this Perth Bridge and Causeway open for traffic.
  The proceedings were then disrupted when a man "raced across the newly-opened bridge before the Governor's procession" on horseback after announcing the following to the astonished crowd:
  And I, John Stephen Maley, do hereby declare that I will be the first to cross this Perth Bridge and Causeway!
  The parade, including the Governor's carriage, then proceeded over the new Causeway after Maley. The Governor's procession continued on steam boats upstream to Guildford where the Governor opened the new Guildford and Helena Bridges.
  This second Causeway was made up of three bridges with a combined length of 1,600 feet (490 m). Budget constraints encountered during construction meant that the bridges were structurally quite weak. A maximum of 4,480 pounds (2.03 t) or six head of cattle was initially allowed across at a time.
  This Causeway was modified several times during its life. In 1899 it was widened by the addition of a footpath, while by 1904 it had been strengthened and widened by an average of 9 feet 6 inches (2.90 m). In June 1905 the Causeway was placed under the control of the Minister for Works. From 1932 to 1933 the Causeway bridges were widened a further 10 feet (3.0 m) on their downstream side, which increased the total width to 37 feet (11 m).
caption: The second Causeway with a tram, viewed from the Perth side.
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