Cobbold’s glass bridge

Cobbold Gorge glass bridge – view from above

Are you ready to be one of the few to cross Australia’s first fully glass bridge over Queensland’s youngest gorge? Installed in 2019, Cobbold Gorge is proud to have this fabulous addition to our Bucket List destination.

Spanning the width of the gorge, the glass bridge perfectly showcases the narrow chasm, giving guests a birds-eye view deep into stunning Cobbold Gorge with its striking sheer walls and adding another dimension to their experience, with exceptional viewing opportunities along the length of the gorge.

Your Cobbold Gorge Tour includes an interpretive walk to the escarpment above, then you’ll head across sandstone cliffs up to this amazing engineering feat. Enjoy the element of challenge and excitement as you test your fear of walking on glass at a height of 17-metres, then stop to peer into the water deep below. You’ll also cruise along the length of the gorge on an electric boat and head beneath the glass bridge. Fantastic.

And if you’re keen for a different experience, enjoy getting up close and personal with the gorge on your guided Stand Up Paddle-board tour, gliding peacefully along the water and just breathing in amazing mother nature. Or for a totally different perspective, head to the skies for a birds-eye view from above on your scenic helicopter flight over the gorge and the surrounding landscape.

Yep – your ultimate Cobbold Gorge experience is to go over the glass bridge, SUP underneath it in the silence and then soar above. Perfect trifecta.

Fun facts – glass bridge
It’s an 11-metre gap and a 17-metre drop into cool, spring fed water below. Too far to jump and too slippery to climb. It stopped access to the other side for 160 million years. It seemed like an easy problem, just build a bridge and get over it, but for Simon Terry, owner of Cobbold Gorge Tours, nothing would be that easy. “In such a spectacular natural environment a simple bridge just wouldn’t cut it” Simon explains, “we wanted to build something that people will remember and give them an experience that they can talk about, so we built Australia’s first glass bridge, totally transparent all the way across”, he said.

Construction began in 2019 and Cobbold Gorge’s glass bridge was officially opened in October 2019

The bridge is engineered to the highest standards and built with 41mm thick glass. It provides an unbelievable aspect of Cobbold Gorge, while walking on the glass surface high above the water below. The walkway width is two metres clear spacing between edge beams. The floor is made of glass panels with glass balustrades on the sides.

Cobbold Gorge Tours and Village were excited and honoured to receive State Government funding from the Outback Tourism Infrastructure Fund to assist with the development and construction of the bridge.

“Through the support of the State Government, the new Cobbold Gorge glass bridge will significantly improve the current tour by enhancing visitor experience and engagement with this unique attraction in the Gulf Savannah region of Outback Queensland,” a Cobbold Gorge and Tours spokesperson said. “This walkway, which will be similar to the Grand Canyon Skywalk (USA), will provide visitors with a thrilling experience. It will be strategically located to showcase areas of significant cultural heritage, as well as being of great importance for natural resources.”

“In conjunction with this project, we will improve access on the 640-metre walking track up to, and 640-metre track back, from the proposed viewing bridge. Safety features will include handrails, steps, safety barriers and a path barrier, preventing visitors from wandering off the track and damaging the fragile ecosystem of Cobbold Gorge Nature Refuge.”

Snap a selfie on Australia’s first fully glass bridge on Queensland’s youngest gorge!

And those stunning blue booties you see everyone wearing? We need to protect the glass on the bridge from getting scratched, so these stylish covers help keep it looking great.
Along with that, our fabulous Team Cobbold are on the bridge regularly, cleaning it so that it’s sparkling and gleaming for your visit!

Snap a selfie with the gang

In addition to making your heart beat faster as you walk across, you’ll be able to snap a selfie in one of the most isolated and spectacular settings in Australia. Your pic from the middle of a glass bridge with the big blue sky and red iron-stained walls of the gorge will be nothing short of breathtaking – the perfect keepsake (or Insta post)!