River crossings are always an issue in early settlements of this nature. The problem was first dealt with by a system of punts and ferries, which operated under special licences.
This area was a logical place for the crossing to Melbourne, being just north of the junction of the Maribyrnong and the Yarra. The early path of the tracks from Williamstown can still be seen in the meandering nature of Moreland Street, south from Napier Street.
Once across the river, going towards Melbourne however, there was still the problem of negotiating the marshland that lay between the Maribyrnong and the Yarra. The early path was particularly difficult in winter. Consequently, Dynon Road was once called the Summer Road. Until the marsh was drained most travellers crossed further up the Maribyrnong at Flemington Hill.
The problem was further accentuated by the shipping activity on the River at the time. The first road bridge over the Saltwater River was built in 1863. It was a wooden construction with a moveable centre that could be pulled back to allow the passage of larger ships. In 1903 this was replaced by a steel, concrete and bluestone bridge, named the Hopetoun Bridge. This was replaced in 1969 with the bridge we have today.
The pressure of increasing traffic through the late 19th Century called for another bridge at Napier Street. So in 1895 the Swing Bridge was built.
This steel construction swung around on a pivot mechanism to allow shipping through to the survey area and further upstream. It was an engineering marvel of it’s time and was so perfectly balanced a boy could work the operation.
One interesting feature of this bridge is that it one of the engineers that worked on it was John Monash who later became the most famous commander of Australian troops in World War One.
The Swing Bridge was replaced by the Shepherd Bridge in 1958, which was named after Ernie Shepherd, who was the State Member for Footscray in 1958, leader of the Labor Opposition at the time and secretary of the Footscray Swimming Club.
Kuvuka mito sikuzote ni tatizo katika makazi ya mapema ya aina hii. Tatizo hilo lilitatua kwanza kwa kutumia mfumo wa mashua na feri, ambazo zilifanya kazi chini ya leseni za pekee. Eneo hilo lilikuwa mahali panapofaa pa kuvuka mpaka wa Melbourne, likiwa kaskazini tu ya makutano ya Mto Maribyrnong na Mto Yarra. Njia ya mapema ya nyimbo kutoka Williamstown bado inaweza kuonekana katika asili meandering ya Moreland Street, kusini kutoka Napier Street. Baada ya kuvuka mto kuelekea Melbourne, bado kulikuwa na tatizo la kuvinjari eneo la mabwawa lililokuwa kati ya Mto Maribyrnong na Mto Yarra. Njia ya mapema ilikuwa ngumu hasa wakati wa majira ya baridi kali. Kwa hiyo, barabara ya Dynon wakati mmoja iliitwa Barabara ya Majira ya joto. Kabla ya mabwawa hayo kutoweka, wasafiri wengi walivuka Mto Maribyrnong huko Flemington Hill. Tatizo hilo liliongezwa na shughuli za usafirishaji kwenye Mto huo wakati huo. Daraja la kwanza la barabara juu ya Mto Saltwater lilijengwa mwaka 1863. Ilikuwa jengo la mbao lenye sehemu ya katikati inayoweza kuhamishwa nyuma ili kuruhusu meli kubwa zaidi zipite. Mwaka 1903 daraja hilo lilibadilishwa na daraja la chuma, saruji na mawe ya bluu, lililoitwa Daraja la Hopetoun. Mwaka 1969 daraja hilo lilibadilishwa na daraja la leo. Kwa sababu ya kuongezeka kwa trafiki katika karne ya 19, daraja jingine lilihitajika katika barabara ya Napier. Mwaka 1895 daraja la Swing Bridge lilijengwa. Ujenzi huu wa chuma ulizunguka-zunguka kwenye utaratibu wa pivot ili kuruhusu usafirishaji kupitia eneo la uchunguzi na zaidi juu ya mto. Ilikuwa ajabu ya uhandisi ya wakati wake na ilikuwa na usawaziko kamilifu hivi kwamba mvulana angeweza kufanya kazi hiyo. Mmoja wa wahandisi wa daraja hilo alikuwa John Monash, ambaye baadaye akawa kamanda maarufu wa majeshi ya Australia katika Vita vya Kwanza vya Ulimwengu. Daraja la Swing lilibadilishwa na daraja la Shepherd mnamo 1958, ambalo lilipewa jina la Ernie Shepherd, ambaye alikuwa mwanachama wa jimbo la Footscray mnamo 1958, kiongozi wa upinzani wa kazi wakati huo na katibu wa Klabu ya Kuogelea ya Footscray.