The opening of the Ross Bridge, which spanned the Macquarie River, in October 1836 was one of Governor George Arthur's last official appearances prior to his departure from the colony a week later. It was a notable occasion. In a procession following the vice-regal party 37 carriages of different descriptions crossed the new carriageway to gather for a celebratory picnic. The reporter from the Hobart Town Courier observed that the ‘wines from Champagne to humble port were excellent’ and that ample justice was done to them. Local Police Magistrate Benjamin Horne told his festive audience that he had arrived in the district 13 years before when the only structure apparent was one mud hut, but now:

It was a speech that would have pleased the governor. As he reflected on his 12 years in the colony he was able to put aside his remorse about the fate of the Aborigines and to celebrate what historian John West was later to term ‘the triumph of colonisation’.