100m: The "Apprentices Arch Bridge" in Katoomba, is a wonderful spot hidden in plain sight. This is a shortie, but a goodie. Starts here: https://w3w.co/burner.slimmer.wiping This is a residential area so be mindful of those who live nearby. This small masonry arch bridge replaced a crumbling railway sleeper footbridge across Cascade Creek at the bottom of Cumberland Street in 1999. Here: www.w3w.co/vacuum.excellent.protruding The Gazette did a story on it in 2014. "The bridge was the idea of Robert Whittaker. He enlisted the help of fellow TAFE teachers, Ted Alderson and Michael Landers from Miller TAFE, who engaged their stonemasonry students, notably Stuart Briggs and Graham Wilson, who carved the two main keystones. The stone was donated by the Department of Public Works and Blue Mountains City Council engaged a contractor to put it all together. "He calls himself "just a crotchety old builder" but Katoomba's Adjunct Professor Robert Whittaker is also the Mountains' latest member of the Order of Australia. "I really don't understand this," he said. "I am tickled pink. But it struck me as bizarre that this sort of thing gets rewarded." "This sort of thing" is a career in the building industry, including roles as president or chairman of many industry bodies, plus more than 20 years teaching. Mr Whittaker, who has a building degree ("not engineering, not architecture, pure building," he said proudly), is currently the national president of the Australian Institute of Building, having previously served as senior vice-president for eight years. He has also chaired the National Education Committee and the NSW Chapter Education Committee. Most of his early working life was spent in private industry but it was his move to teaching 20 years ago that proved life-changing, he said. He also designed the so-called Apprentices Arch bridge which links a pedestrian walkway between Katoomba and Leura, just beyond his backyard at the end of Wilson Street. "The old bridge was made of sleepers, which had holes in them, a couple of telegraph poles, and just one handrail," Mr Whittaker said. "I didn't mind the romance of it but it was going to have to be replaced one day. So I designed its replacement." https://www.facebook.com/AskRozBlueMountains/posts/pfbid02HGuDxK268PKFGdWXypimtBot5WEFzb94g67LtcjnohYyu9shLH9ETMRAMMd6brbUl
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