Bells Bridge is a rural locality in the

Gympie Region The Gympie Region is a local government area in the Wide Bay–Burnett region of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, the state capital. It is between the Sunshine Coast and Hervey Bay and centred on the town of Gympie. It was creat ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the Bells Bridge had a population of 197 people.

Geography

The

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Nat ...

passes through the locality from the east to the north-east, where it has a junction with the Wide Bay Highway which passes through the location to the north-west. The Mary River flows through the locality from south-east to north-east, eventually flowing into the Great Sandy Strait. Most of the locality is the Brooyar State Forest, except for the eastern and north-eastern parts which are farmland supporting cropping and grazing.

History

The locality presumably takes its name from the Bell's Bridge built at O'Leary's Crossing over the Mary River, which was opened by the Minister for Lands, Joshua Thomas Bell, on Thursday 28 May 1908. The bridge was funded by the Widgee and

Kilkivan Kilkivan is a town and locality in the Gympie Region of Queensland, Australia. At the , Kilkivan had a population of 713. Geography The town is situated on the Wide Bay Highway, north of the state capital, Brisbane and west of Gympie. One M ...

Shire Councils, the

Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...

and other public donations. It was named after Bell for the support he had given them in obtaining the funding for the bridge. Bell's Bridge State School opened on 8 June 1926. It closed on 11 November 1932. Bells Bridge was a locality in the Shire of Cooloola prior to the 2008 amalgamation into the Gympie Region. In the Bells Bridge had a population of 197 people.

References

Gympie Region Mary River (Queensland) Localities in Queensland {{GympieRegion-geo-stub