In 1863 the first span of the South Esk Bridge connected Launceston with Trevallyn with much fanfare.
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Forty-one years later the construction and installation of an exact replica doubled its capacity.
The laying of the foundation stone for a duplicate of the bridge was all set for Coronation Day on June 26, 1902, but then a message came through that his Majesty King Edward VII was ill, and the coronation would not take place.
The City Council made the decision to postpone all the celebrations for the day.
Mayor Fairthorne finally laid the stone on August 9, 1902 and the bridge was re-named King's Bridge.
Crowds of people gathered at the Council Quarry and at the start of the Zig Zag track to watch the unveiling.
The City Band provided entertainment, and, in the evening, electric lights illuminated the bridge.
The newspapers followed the manufacture of the replica bridge with much interest.
The complete plan of a half-section of the bridge marked out on a fitting floor at Salisbury's Foundry impressed an Examiner reporter as he toured the workplace.
On December 19, 1903 a specially-constructed, horse-drawn trolley moved the bridge in sections from the foundry yards on to a floating dock at the Railway Wharf.
A rehearsal of floating the massive arch structure to its new site allowed the workmen to gain an idea of the nature of the work.
All was ready for moving the duplicate bridge into place on Tuesday, January 12, 1904.
The bridge was closed to traffic, large crowds swarmed everywhere and the South Esk was alive with steam launches, sailing boats and all types of small craft.
At 7.30am the sight "of a huge iron bridge, gaily decorated with bunting" being towed slowly to the mouth of the Gorge presented a "unique spectacle".
The dock floated into position with the great steel arch some feet above the abutments on either side of the Gorge. As the tide fell, the structure fitted into place.
The whole operation took about three hours.
Planks were laid across the new bridge and two little girls - Annie McDonald and Gladys Campbell - were the first to cross.
The new section of the bridge opened to traffic on May 10, 1904 and the full width of the structure was available at the end of July.
A few days later the official test of King's Bridge took place using a traction engine and a steam roller as weight.
The graceful structure still spans the South Esk, delighting tourists and locals alike, and continues to provide a vital link which unites two halves of the city.
