Thornes Bridge, Mulwaree Ponds, Goulburn, 1920

ABOUT THE BRIDGE:

Thornes Bridge was an Allan type timber truss road bridge completed in 1920. Constructed by J .J. McPhillips of Guntawang for ₤5,075 (RMS 2012a), Thornes Bridge was completed in 1920 to replace an earlier Bennett truss bridge on the site. The bridge was constructed on land which was originally used by a number of indigenous language groups including the Mulwaree, Tarlo, Burra Burra, Wollondilly, Wiradjuri, Gundungurra, Dharrook, Tharawal, Lachlan, Pajong, Parramarragoo, Cookmal and Gnunawal people. After the arrival of European settlers in the area the number of indigenous people were decimated due to conflict and the spread of disease, and while the Mulwaree River has been identified as being a site of importance to the indigenous people at that time (RTA 2004), through the passage of time and subsequent development, no physical evidence of this significance remains within the vicinity of the bridge.

While there was European exploration in the Goulburn Mulwaree area as early as 1798, it was not ‘officially’ discovered by James Meehan until 1818. The Goulburn Plains were used as stock stations throughout the 1820s and although a settlement was designed in the northern section of the Goulburn Plains in 1828, in 1832 Sir Richard Bourke chose a new site for the town of Goulburn further south above the Mulwaree Ponds. Due to the success of the wool industry in the region and the completion of the Great South Road, by the early 1850s Goulburn had become a thriving regional centre (Lester Firth 1983).

Thornes Bridge was named in honour of the Thorn family, a prominent landholder and settler family in the Goulburn area. John Thorn, Police Magistrate in Parramatta, initially acquired land in the area in the mid to late 1820s. Despite owning land in Goulburn, he continued to reside and hold his public position in Parramatta, where he lived with his wife, Jane Matilda, and their children. In 1830, Thorn was instrumental in the apprehension of a dangerous gang of bushrangers near Parramatta, for which he was awarded a land grant of 640 acres north of Sydney. The suburb of Thornleigh, the location of the grant, was named in his honour. John Thorn was killed on 3 August 1838, near Berrima, when thrown from his gig[1] on a journey to inspect his inland properties.[2]

Following the death of her husband, Jane Matilda moved to the Goulburn area with her surviving children. The land was held in trust for Jane and the Thorn family by John Walker. Jane Matilda lived at the property until her death in 1879, where she was interned with her husband at St. John Cemetery, Parramatta.[3]

Daniel and George Thorn, sons of John and Jane, built a substantial homestead and stables on the Thornleigh property in the 1840s. The Thorn brothers gained a reputation as exceptional horse breeders. The pair also constructed one of Goulburn’s earliest breweries and utilised the Mulwaree Ponds as a water supply in the production process. This led to the waterway becoming known as “Thorne’s Waterhole.” To transport the goods, the brothers also constructed a timber bridge over the Mulwaree River.[4]

Throughout the 1840s and 50s, Thorn’s brewery and stables prospered, and both brothers were prominent citizens in Goulburn. Daniel Thorn was active in the Goulburn community and became a member of the first Goulburn Municipal Council in 1859. He died at the age of 34 in 1860.[5]

Following the death of his brother, George appears to have ceased operations at the brewery in the mid-1860s. He continued to reside and follow pastoral pursuits at Thornleigh. George died on 1 October 1874 of heart disease.[6]

In the wake of George’s death, family members retained the property in Goulburn. By the 1880s, the family was suffering financial difficulties and the Bank of New South Wales, to whom Thornleigh was mortgaged, foreclosed on the property.[7]

References

[1] A gig is a light two-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle with two seats, suitable for fast driving.

[2] “News of the Day,” Sydney Monitor, 6 August 1837, 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32160887.; Hornsby Shire Historical Society, Pioneers of Hornsby Shire, 1788-1906, (Sydney, NSW: Library of Australian History, 1979), 87.

[3] “Death Notice,” Sydney Morning Herald, 17 Febuary 1879, 1, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13429471.

[4] “Goulburn Landmarks,” Sydney Mail, 28 June 1933, 2, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/165959075

[5] “Goulburn,” Empire, 18 July 1860, 5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60413469; RTA, Statement of Heritage Impact: Proposed removal of Thornes Bridge over the Mulwaree River Goulburn, NSW, (Sydney NSW: RTA, 2008), 6.

[6] “Death Notice,” Empire, 14 October 1874, 1, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article60993377.

[7] RTA, Statement of Heritage Impact, 6.