The Walter Taylor Bridge is a heritage-listed suspension bridge across the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer. It opened in 1936, it has two tall towers with arched gateways, and you can walk across it for views up and down the river.
It is free to walk, and easy to combine with the rest of Indooroopilly. This guide covers the history, the walk, the closures to watch for and how to get there.
History of the Walter Taylor Bridge
The bridge opened on 14 February 1936 as a toll bridge, first called the Indooroopilly Bridge. It was designed by local resident Walter Taylor and replaced a cross-river ferry. It was renamed in his honour in 1956, after his death in 1955.
The support cables are surplus cables from the Sydney Harbour Bridge project. When it opened it was the longest span suspension bridge in Australia, and it still is.
The Governor, Sir Leslie Wilson, opened it, and it cost 85,000 pounds to build.
It was handed to Brisbane City Council in 1963. The two towers were built as homes, one for the toll keeper and one for the bridge supervisor, and the Green family lived in the north tower for more than 75 years, until 2009. Council says it is the only bridge of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
Walking across the Walter Taylor Bridge
The bridge has a footpath, so you can walk from Indooroopilly to Chelmer and back. It is about 300 m end to end, and the longest single span is about 183 m. The towers are 26.5 m high on the Indooroopilly side and 38.4 m on the Chelmer side.
The best views are along the river from the middle of the span, and the cream towers with their arched gateways look good from both ends. Jacarandas flower near the bridge in October.
What the bridge looks like up close
Each end of the bridge has a concrete tower with an arched gateway that the road passes through, and the cables run down from the tops of the towers to the deck. The towers are the reason people stop: they look more like gatehouses than bridge supports.
You can look up at the towers from the street at either end, and the Chelmer tower is the taller of the two.
The bridges beside it
The Walter Taylor Bridge sits beside the Jack Pesch Bridge, a cable-stayed steel bridge for walkers and cyclists only, and the heritage Albert Bridge rail bridge, and from the river’s edge you can see them lined up together.
When the Walter Taylor Bridge is closed, Brisbane City Council points walkers and riders to the Jack Pesch Bridge instead. More about the surrounding streets, parks and shops is in our Indooroopilly guide.
Add the Indooroopilly Heritage Trail
The bridge is one of 17 stops on the Indooroopilly Heritage Trail. The trail starts at the Indooroopilly War Memorial in Keating Park, 5 Belgrave Road, and finishes at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, 93 Station Road. Some sections are steep, so it may not suit everyone.
If you only want the bridge, you can skip the trail and walk across, then stop at Thomas Park Bougainvillea Gardens or the shops.
Planning your visit
- How long: A walk across and back is a short stop. Allow longer if you are taking photos or adding Indooroopilly’s parks and shops.
- Cost: Free to walk across.
- Use: The bridge is open to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, and about 32,000 people use it each day.
- Best time: Daylight, for the views. Closures for tower works are overnight, so day visits are the safest bet.
Getting there and parking
The bridge is about 7.5 km from the Brisbane CBD, about 15 minutes by car without traffic. Indooroopilly has a train station and a bus interchange at the shopping centre, covered in the Indooroopilly guide. Use the Translink journey planner for your trip.
Council lists the bridge as stop 11 on its Indooroopilly Heritage Trail.
Nearby
- Indooroopilly – the bridge, Thomas Park Bougainvillea Gardens and the shops in one day out.
- Story Bridge – Brisbane’s other famous bridge, with a walk across.
- Kangaroo Point Bridge – a river bridge for walkers and cyclists in the inner city.
- Eleanor Schonell Bridge – the Green Bridge, for buses, walkers and cyclists.
- More history and landmarks around Brisbane.
You might also like
- Graceville Memorial Park (Brisbane)
- Toowong Memorial Park (Brisbane)
- UQ St Lucia (Brisbane)
Quick answers
Can you walk across the Walter Taylor Bridge?
Yes. The bridge has a footpath, and it is open to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. It closes to everyone on some nights for tower works, and the Jack Pesch Bridge next door stays open for walkers and riders.
When was the Walter Taylor Bridge built?
It opened on 14 February 1936 as a toll bridge, and it was renamed after its designer Walter Taylor in 1956.
How long is the Walter Taylor Bridge?
About 300 m, with a longest span of about 183 m. It is the longest span suspension bridge in Australia.
Did people really live in the towers?
Yes. The towers were built as homes for the toll keeper and the bridge supervisor, and the Green family lived in the north tower for more than 75 years, until 2009.
Where is the Walter Taylor Bridge?
It crosses the Brisbane River between Indooroopilly and Chelmer, about 7.5 km from the Brisbane CBD.
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