History of the Spencer Street Bridge

Have you ever noticed the Spencer Street Bridge? Arguably nondescript, this dependable 1930 structure has a backstory of political infighting, pioneering technology and an unexpected obstacle pre-dating the bridge by several millennia. City of Melbourne local history librarian Fiona Campbell will lead a visual journey through the design, construction and significance of this enduring bridge.

We are delighted to partner again with Engineering Heritage Victoria to present this talk by Fiona Campbell, Local History Librarian at East Melbourne Library and bridge enthusiast.

Fiona graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1994. Majoring in French and English literature, she also studied visual arts, Australian architecture and linguistics. From 1995 she studied horticulture at Burnley College (University of Melbourne) while working in retail nurseries and discovering an enduring interest in botany.

Led by an innate love of libraries and information, in 2002 Fiona undertook the Diploma of Library and Information Services at Swinburne University of Technology, which happily landed her in public library employment from 2003. She secured her current position of Reader Services and Local History Librarian at East Melbourne Library in 2007, and obtained the Graduate Diploma in Information Management with Distinction at RMIT in 2009. Specialising in local history has enabled Fiona to develop her inner history detective. Her work includes management of archival collections, responding to local history enquiries, events programming and resource training. She works to increase cultural and heritage awareness in the community by inspiring interest in our local stories and promoting the wealth of freely available resources.

Since 2018 she has been preoccupied with researching the history and construction of the Spencer Street Bridge and she is currently working on a book about the history of the bridge which she hopes to have published in 2021.

Refreshments from 5:30pm – 6pm

Lecture 6pm – 7pm

Photo caption: Spencer Street Bridge in 1930 (State Library of Victoria)