By Asa Wahlquist, Bays and Foreshores Convenor for the Glebe Society
From the Glebe Society Bulletin 8/2025, October
The Glebe Society has long pushed for the restoration of the old Glebe Island Bridge. The campaign peaked during the Covid lockdown, when locals flocked to the Glebe foreshore path and imagined completing the circuit of Blackwattle and Rozelle Bays by crossing the restored bridge.
Restoration of the bridge is supported by the City of Sydney Council, which describes it as key infrastructure, to the east, and the Inner West Council on the west. Ten years ago the NSW Government committed to ‘work towards…operationalising Glebe Island Bridge for active and public transport’. Plans for revitalising Blackwattle Bay, the White Bay redevelopment and the McKell Institute’s proposed harbourside walk from the Opera House to Parramatta all envisage the bridge’s restoration.
Despite these calls, the heritage-listed old bridge continues to deteriorate due to neglect.
And there is another major problem.
The State Government has promised a ferry from Barangaroo to the new Fish Market, one that Transport for NSW coordinator-general Howard Collins said would be ‘very busy’. Clearly our current ferry, the 12 metre MiniCat Me-Mel with its 40 minute frequency, will be inadequate. The talk is of a larger ferry, perhaps like the RiverCat, with more frequent services, which would in turn require frequent opening of a restored Glebe Island Bridge, far too often to make it feasible.
Architect Andrew Benn has been considering this problem on his daily commutes, usually by bike or foot, between Balmain and his Pyrmont office. He has decided to kick start the conversation about a more functional Glebe Island Bridge with a proposal for a higher bridge, one that would not need to open, and that would ascend over the heritage bridge.
Images supplied by Benn + Penna |
Mr Benn’s design has a bike lane on one side with a pedestrian path on the other. The paths meander, there would be plantings and seating, and on the top an oculus, or an opening, above the control box of the old bridge. There would be a spiral staircase, which he describes as ‘a bit nautical’ and a ramp down to the old bridge for those who want to investigate the heritage bridge.
The new bridge would be reached by a ramp with a fast straight lane and a slow curved one. The height is yet to be determined, but Mr Benn is thinking it would probably be twice as high as the current bridge, certainly high enough to allow free passage of the commuter ferries.
The new Sydney Fish Market is expected to open before the end of this year, but the ferries will have to wait. The ferry wharf at the new market will be at the northern or old Fish Market end. There are currently two fishing vessels delivering fresh fish to the market. They tie up and offload at a concrete wharf that is now tucked behind the new fish market. That wharf cannot be removed until the boats have their berths in the new market. Once that happens, the concrete wharf can be demolished and work on the new wharf should begin.
The Glebe Society will continue to advocate for the protection of this valued heritage item and will update readers with developments.
