Construction work on the bridge commenced in March 1877. The official ceremony consisted of a procession walking across the bridge, the planting of memorial trees at the northern end and the bridge's designer, Frederick Byerley breaking a
bottle of champagne on one of the pedestals at the southern end of the bridge where he "
baptised" the structure, the Fitzroy Bridge. Following the official opening, a large crowd gathered at the
Criterion Hotel who proceeding to drink a number of
toasts in honour of Rockhampton's new bridge. Byerley was presented with a walnut
writing desk along with a gold pen and pencil as a token of the respect the bridge workers had for him during construction of the bridge. The bridge remained in service until a new bridge, also called the Fitzroy Bridge, was officially opened alongside the old bridge on 27 September 1952. After standing for 75 years, the original Fitzroy Bridge was demolished on 25 January 1956. A
commemorative plaque was erected on the riverbank near to where the bridge was once accessed from the south opposite the Criterion Hotel on 27 August 1988. The plaque commemorates both the first Fitzroy Bridge and the pioneering work of its designer Frederick John Byerley. ==See also==