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Story: Canterbury region

Bealey railway bridge, 1920s

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Bealey railway bridge, 1920s

Building bridges over the wide shingle beds of Canterbury’s rivers was a challenge. Gradually, ferries were replaced by bridges such as this one across the Bealey River, at the entrance to the Ōtira tunnel.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PAColl-4239-03

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Canterbury region – Transport, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10339/bealey-railway-bridge-1920s (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009.