Bridges are commonplace, so what makes the Richmond Bridge in Tasmania such a unique destination? It has the distinction of being Australia’s oldest existing stone arch bridge. Bigge’s Bridge was named after Royal Commissioner John Thomas Bigge, who suggested the bridge’s construction in 1820. It was constructed by incarcerated laborers, men imprisoned in the nearby Richmond Gaol, which was a regular practice at the time for big construction and road projects. These incarcerated workers were forced to mine sandstone from nearby Butchers Hill and deliver it to the site using carts….
