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The Old Goulburn River Bridge had a timber deck that was 105 metres long, according to the Victorian Heritage Database.
The bridge was initially built in 1862 and replaced 30 years later with a new timber bridge. The heritage listing notes the bridge was unusual due to its use of grey box timber piers and was the last “big-river timber bridge” before an economic depression in 1893.
Geoff Halpin and his son Doug want the bridge restored. Credit: Justin McManus
“When opened in 1892 it was regarded as a superior and extravagantly expensive structure,” the listing says. “The Old Goulburn River Bridge is of aesthetic significance for its elegant timber structure and native bush setting on the fast-flowing and broad Goulburn River.”
It was closed to traffic in 1987 and was used as part of a walking track, until it was later shut entirely.
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More recently, the council had the bridge’s deck removed as part of the now cancelled restoration project, Seymour resident and bridge campaigner Carolynne Burgess Blackwell said.
She was driven over the bridge countless times as a child before it closed to traffic. Burgess Blackwell said the bridge was a crucial part of Seymour’s heritage.
She argued a restored bridge could help spur the town’s economy and form part of a walking and cycling trail.
“Seymour’s not a wealthy town, and the bridge is a way for us to have fundraising events and bring in tourist dollars,” Burgess Blackwell said.
She also wants the council held accountable for the money it spent breaking the contract.
“That’s community money they wasted to achieve nothing.”
Burgess Blackwell said the community raised $100,000 in 2010 to put towards the bridge restoration.
The Old Goulburn River Bridge is heritage listed so it cannot be demolished. Credit: Justin McManus
“It really defined how much the community was behind the bridge restoration and what it could mean for our future.”
Last month, the council voted to allocate $150,000 for waterproofing works to maintain the existing structure.
Seymour Historical Society president Geoff Halpin said cyclists would be able to ride from Seymour to the popular tourist town of Nagambie far more safely if the bridge was reopened.
He said people camping on the northern side of the Goulburn River would be able to walk easily into Seymour’s town centre via a restored bridge, which would aid the local economy.
The Viaduct Bridge at Kilcunda has fallen into disrepair and will be demolished. Credit: Justin McManus
At Kilcunda on the Bass Coast, the local council recently voted to demolish a former railway bridge that has not been in service for almost 50 years. Unlike the Bourne Creek Trestle Bridge overlooking the ocean at Kilcunda, the Viaduct Bridge has not been rejuvenated and fell into disrepair.
A Bass Coast council meeting agenda cited an engineering assessment from 2021, which found the bridge was in “extremely poor” condition.
“The structure has been maintained for aesthetic value but not as a functioning bridge,” it said.
Fifth-generation Kilcunda resident Wayne Jennings still remembers trains travelling over the bridge and stopping at Kilcunda.
Wayne Jennings said the bridge should have been restored more than 15 years ago. Credit: Justin McManus
He said a restored bridge could have been the centrepiece of a park with displays explaining the structure’s place in Kilcunda’s history.
“It’s a shame,” he said.
The Bass Coast Shire confirmed the Viaduct Bridge was built in 1910 and management of it was handed over to the council 20 years ago. The council said part of the bridge collapsed last year and restoring it would have cost up to $2 million.
A petition to preserve the bridge gathered more than 1200 signatures. But Bass Coast mayor Rochelle Halstead said restoration was not safe or viable.
The bridge closed to the public. Credit: Justin McManus
“We know this bridge is more than timber and bolts to many in the Kilcunda community – it represents childhood memories, local heritage and a visual landmark that has long been part of the town’s character,” she said.
Jennings said the Viaduct Bridge should have been restored alongside the trestle bridge more than 15 years ago.
But that, it seems, would have been a bridge too far.
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