The Following from Manning Great lakes Focus Magazine July 2011 ?br/br/"When the citizens of Wingham presented their petition to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for a bridge over the Cedar Party Creek in 1864, the petition also included the request for a punt over the Manning River from Wingham to the Bight.br/The area so named because of its unusual bend-shape, was one of the first places to be developed on the Upper Manning when the Lobban family and Alexander McLeod travelled from the Hunter district in 1851.br/At that time, a dense scrub from over a mile wide extended the neck of the Bight, while the river banks were lined with thick brushes of cedar, beech, rosewood and huge fig trees. The gigantic roots of the latter covered almost a quarter of an acre. There was also an abundance of giant nettle trees, and all of these thickets were the dwelling-place of large numbers of pademelons and other small animals that delighted in eating the tender, newly-emerged crops.br/Despite the request for a ferry at the site, the Wingham Punt, as it became widely known, did not commence operation until 1906.br/Regular submissions continued to try to obtain a bridge, but progress was slow.br/In 1957, test drillings were carried out to investigate the feasibility of a bridge, and the foundation potential was found to be favourable.br/Finally plans for a construction were drawn, and it was proposed to call tenders in June 1961, but at the last minute a decision was made to add a footway to the bridge.br/Tenders were called on 27 October, 1961, and closed on the 27th of November of the same year.br/The contract for the construction of the bridge over the Manning River at Wingham was awarded to Anderson Construction Pty Ltd, and the financial cost was £77,000.br/Construction of the bridge commenced early in 1962, but was delayed by more than the usual number of floods in April 1962 that caused work to cease for some days.br/The new bridge was completed in December 1963, and the official opening occurred on April 11, 1964.br/Made of pre-stressed concrete, the structure is 535 feet long, and collapsible handrails are a great boon in flood-time.br/Mayor Alderman Carlyle, at the official opening, emphasised that the then newly created High School, of which the town was very proud, would now have access to all of its students."br/Research Mal Rattray – Text Mieke van Werdt. Manning Valley Historical Society Inc. 12 Farquhar Street, Wingham NSW 2429br/Reference - lt;a href="http://focusmag.com.au/mgl/featured/gateway-to-wingham"; rel="nofollow"gt;Focus Magazinelt;/agt; July 2011 ??