First built in 1888, the bridge and river’s course was closer to town with the Barrington end where the current bridge starts. A flood washed it away in 1946. Fortunately, the Lemans Flat Bridge (fondly called the Sewerage Bridge and a popular swimming hole) was trafficable with some widening of the cutting on the town side of the Billabong Bridge and maintenance of Showground Road. Weather conditions delayed replacement, when repairs commenced there would be other floods - 1951, 1952 and 1955. Each flood washed out a bit more of the western approaches, so it was decided to re-site it closer to Barrington where it could be anchored to the bedrock. A new river channel was cut to reroute the river and this engineering design has stood the test of time.
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A large crowd and 250 students from Gloucester District Rural School lined the approaches for the official opening by the Commissioner of Main Roads Mr N Sherrard on September 19, 1958. The commissioner’s car was the first to cross the bridge being passed by log trucks, cream lorries, school bus and residents of Barrington and western localities, using the direct route for the first time in over a decade.The structure was 135 feet long, 22ft wide between the kerb logs with 33,000 cubic yards of filling in the approaches.
In the early 2000s major repairs were carried out with a low level temporary structure used for traffic for the duration of the works
