Stone Bridge, Dalrymple Gap Track

This remotely-located stone culvert dates to the mid-1860s when the track was formed between Cardwell and the Valley of the Lagoons on the upper Burdekin River. Today, it is accessible to walkers wishing to follow in the footsteps of explorer George Elphinstone Dalrymple. He had taken up a grazing run in the Valley of the Lagoons with partners Arthur and Walter Scott in 1863. Dalrymple established a settlement to be named Cardwell in 1864 and sought to find a dray route west to the interior and the Valley of Lagoons in the same year. Despite an initial failed attempt, he then followed an Aboriginal track leading directly to what became known as the Dalrymple Gap. On the return journey, Dalrymple and his party began clearing a dray track to the coast, which was further developed in 1864. By January 1865, a government road party had completed a road through the pass and it is likely the stone bridge was built concurrently. The track was heavily used until a shorter route was found in 1872. Since 1982, the Queensland Government has managed the track and it is now part of the Girringun National Park. The bridge underwent conservation work in 2001.