This week, 150 years ago, floods swept across Bathurst lives were threatened and the Denison Bridge was washed away leaving people stranded.

The day in question was June 22, 1867.

The flood was so significant that it made the national news with The Sydney Morning Herald writing this story for its readers.

The Macquarie at daybreak was running nearly bank high, and with such velocity as to indicate great pressure from waters accumulated in the back country.

As hours passed by the water crept higher, and fears were entertained for the safety of Denison Bridge (of wood), which spans the Macquarie on the main line of road, at Kelso, and against which logs, stumps and trees were beginning rapidly to accumulate.

The water was now too high to allow the debris to pass under, and it became evident that the destruction of the bridge was a mere question of time.

At about 11 o’clock a loud crashing, jarring sound was heard, accompanied by a shriek from persons standing on the bridge, who at the same instant made a confused rush for the shore at either end, and they were in time, but barely, when, with a quivering, rocking motion, the centre of the bridge toward the Bathurst side, bulged down stream snapped asunder and changing round with a grand sweep, detached itself, a similar occurrence taking place from the Kelso side, and floated away with the tide.

The structure was swept into shallower water, where it stranded on a sandbank near George Street and is now a complete wreck.

Parade would like to give a shout out to the Eleven Mile Drive resident who brought this story to her attention, she enjoyed the history lesson very much.

Oh, and the current Denison Bridge is the one that was rebuilt in 1870 following the floods, at the time its advanced design was a major engineering achievement.

The bridge is the second oldest metal truss bridge remaining in NSW.