Head to Adelaide’s booming southern suburbs today and you’ll cross the new Pedler Creek Bridge, a 160m-long, 23m-wide, four-lane piece of modern engineering.

However, it hasn’t always been so easy to cross this picturesque stream, with a number of bridges existing over the past 150 years to link Adelaide with what was originally farmland before it became a popular shack destination and today, home to tens of thousands of residents.

Now, thanks to serendipitous discovery during a shed cleanout, some new light can be shone on this important crossing.

The first bridge was built not long after the Pedler family moved to the area in the 1830s, but that was blown up during the First World War – not in an act of sabotage, but as practice for the army.

The replacement bridge still stands (below), although it’s no longer part of the main road.

The third iteration, a much more modern affair, was opened to the public with much pomp and ceremony in 1967, and it was this event that was brought back to life by the Pedler family when they rediscovered a can of 16mm film that had recorded the event. You can watch this footage at the link at the end of this story.

That bridge has reached the end of its lifespan and is now being demolished, replaced by the four-lane version which opened in October last year.

This bridge (above), part of the Main South Road duplication between Seaford and Aldinga is now providing a much smoother journey for the almost 17,000 vehicles a day which drive across Pedler Creek.

The $810.4 million Fleurieu Connections project is funded by the South Australian and Australian governments and is being delivered by the Fleurieu Connections Alliance.