Tassie trip 2022

The Tasman Bridge is a bridge that carries the Tasman Highway over the Derwent River in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Including approaches, the bridge has a total length of 1,396 metres and it provides the main traffic route from the Hobart city centre to the eastern shore.
In 1975, a disaster occured which separated the city of Hobart and led to the unfortunate loss of lives. The bulk ore transport Lake Illawarra, bound for the Electrolytic Zinc Company with a cargo of 10,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate, struck the Tasman Bridge on Sunday, January 5, 1975, at 9:27 p.m. It caused two pylons and three sections of concrete decking to fall off the bridge, totalling 127 metres (417 feet), sinking the ship. When four automobiles drove over the collapsed sections before traffic was stopped, seven of the ship’s crewmen were murdered, and five motorists were killed.
A now iconic news photo that’s well known by Tasmanians shows a 3,000km old Holden Monaro GTS perched balancing on the cliff, alongside an earlier FB Holden station wagon.
The river’s depth at this point (35 metres (115 feet) is sufficient that the wreck of the Lake Illawarra lays on the bottom with a concrete slab on top of it, posing little danger to smaller vessels. Residents in Hobart’s eastern suburbs were cut off.Read more