Perth Kids’ Bridge linking Perth Children’s Hospital and Kings Park open

The new bridge linking the Perth Children’s Hospital to Kings Park is now open.

Stretching across Winthrop Avenue, the 217-metre-long structure will be “wonderful” for sick kids, Premier Mark McGowan said.

“It'll be very, very good for people's minds and souls,” he said.

“Part of your recovery is being happy and so this will assist with that.”

The Perth Kids’ Bridge will be dual-named the Koolangka Bridge, which means children in Noongar.

The project was largely funded by the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, which provided $6.3 million. Taxpayers provided an additional $3 million through the Department of Health and Main Roads.

Health Minister Roger Cook said that the bridge is well worth the cost.

“I think this is outstanding value for money,” he said.

“You understand some of these kids are in hospital for many weeks and months at a time, the opportunity to come across here just to get a small break is so important.”

The brightly coloured bridge took a mere six months to build, with construction commencing in February.

One of the driving forces behind the milestone project was 16-year-old Matthew Carulli, who died in 2014 after an eight-year battle with leukaemia.

Speaking today, his father Steve said he would be “rapt” with the result.

“After Matty had his bone transplant … he couldn’t get out of the room for months and months on end,’ he said.

“Just the idea of just escaping the confines of not only the room, but the ward, and then the whole hospital, and they can enjoy this beautiful sort of natural beauties ... it’s just fantastic."