Council officially names four new bridges

Council has officially named four new bridges that until now were only know by anecdotal names.

Council decided at its August meeting to name:

The bridge on Peacock Creek Road over Gorge Creek (16.5km from Clarence Way), Gray Bridge; The bridge on Old Dyraaba Road, 11.9km from Sextonville Road, Magil Bridge (Bundjualung for Easter Water Dragon); The bridge on Walters Road, 593m from Green Pigeon Road, Matthews Bridge The bridge on Hootons Road, over the Clarence River (15km from the Clarence Way), Binging Bridge (Bundjalung for River Turtle).

Council received 25 submissions from the public on the proposed names, with the bridge on Hootons Road over the Clarence River attracting the most submissions.

Two of the submissions wanted the bridge to be named either MacLean Bridge or MacLean crossing in reference to the historical river crossing being known as MacLean’s and seven supported the name Binging to acknowledge the area’s traditional owners.

Nine submissions wanted the bridge named after the Hooton family.

In deciding to go with Binging Bridge, Council noted that the Hooton family already had been recognised in the naming of the road and that only one other bridge in the local government area carried a Bundjalung name.