| Virtual Tourism > Story Bridge, Brisbane | Virtual Time Travel |
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The Story Bridge is the second crossing of the Brisbane River. It connects Fortitude Valley to Kangaroo Point. Before the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 the Government of Queensland asked John Bradfield to design a new Brisbane bridge.
The Story Bridge was constructed, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as a public works program during the Great Depression. Construction began on the bridge on 24th May, 1935, with the first sod being turned by the then Premier of Queensland, William Forgan Smith. It was opened on 6th July, 1940 by Sir Leslie Orme Wilson, Governor of Queensland and named for John Douglas Story, a senior and influential public servant. At the time, Fortitude Valley was the commercial centre of the city.