Brisbane Story Bridge

A spectacular way to admire scenic Brisbane is to view it on top of the city's famous landmark. Story Bridge is a steel cantilever bridge that measures 1.3 kilometers long, 777 meters at its highest point and clearance below pegged at 99.7 feet. It joins Fortitude Valley on the

south bank of the river to Kangaroo Point on the north end. Previously called "Jubilee Bridge" in honor of the Silver Jubilee of King George V, its present name was taken from the Public Service Commissioner, John Story, who was then a very popular official back in the 1930s. 

The bridge transports three lanes of traffic in either route as well as a distributed pedestrian and cycle track flanking each side. Its road is called Bradfield Highway, the shortest highway in Australia, though it is not to be mistaken with the Bradfield Highway that stretches Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Before Sydney Harbour Bridge was bared to the public in 1932, the Government of Queensland had sought John Bradfield to design a new Brisbane bridge.

a series of bridges over the river to ease congestion on the Victoria Bridge and to prevent traffic on the Brisbane CBD. The William Jolly Bridge was the first of these bridges made. Lack of financial resources prevented the development of the downstream bridge at that time. The initial plans were to vouch for a transporter bridge further downstream adjacent New Farm.

Construction for Story Bridge began on May 24, 1935.  It officially opened on July 6, 1940 by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, and in the beginning they charged passersby to pay a toll amount at booths situated on the southern end of Bradfield Highway. Between 1952 and 1969 trolley-buses worked by the

Brisbane City Council used the bridge. More than 300 workers were hired for its construction and design, which took less than a decade to finish.

While the design for Story Bridge was greatly influenced by another bridge that is the Jacques Cartier Bridge in Montreal, its enormous physical structure composes almost 12,000 tons of steel, in which nearly all the pieces used were Australian made.

But what attracts tourists the most here is the Bridge Climb, a challenging yet safe and affordable walk to the top of the bridge helped by guides to experience the sight of the breath-taking panoramic view of the city. Climb leaders will also provide bits of historic facts, interesting anecdotes and trivia along the way. Believed to be one of only three bridge climbs in the planet, it takes around two and half hours to get to the top. Bridge climbs started three years ago and is considered the best choice to discover Brisbane.