The Tasman Bridge has closed for three minutes tonight to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1975 disaster.
The bridge closed at 9:27 this evening, the time of the collapse five decades ago, while bridge lighting between piers 17 and 19 was dimmed to a dark blue.
A lone bagpiper played Amazing Grace on the egeria boat during a memorial service underneath the bridge at the time of impact.
The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) is hosting an exhibition titled “On The Edge” until January 12, featuring two cars that managed to escape the disaster.
On the evening of January 5, 1975, a bulk ore carrier, the Lake Illawarra, collided with the Tasman Bridge in Hobart.
The impact caused a sections of the bridge to collapse, sending cars into the River Derwent below.
The disaster claimed the lives of 12 people and injured 98 others.
It also caused extensive damage to the bridge and disrupted traffic for several months.
The collapse of the bridge cut Hobart off from its eastern suburbs and had a major social impact on the community.
It took one year for a temporary two-lane Bailey bridge to be built across the river, which remained in place for over a year.
Two and a half years after the disaster, the Tasman Bridge finally reopened to the public on October 8, 1977.
