Bridge over Curdies River north of Timboon - Timboon Railway Line

The Timboon Railway Line branched off the Warrnambool or Port Fairy Line a short distance west of Camperdown. It was roughly 36 kilometres in length, opening in 1892 and closing relatively recently in 1986. 

The Curdies River Bridge is just 4.6 Kilometres north of the line terminus at Timboon. It crosses both the Curdies River and Limeworks Road, the lime works still being in use and actively mined. There was a siding off the line to serve the lime works originally, but the output is shifted by road trucks these days, passing under the bridge quite frequently.

I love this bridge, it looks good, and sits beautifully in the landscape, something that is best appreciated from the air, hence my use of the drone to get a rather magic aerial perspective. And it is hard to take a bad photograph of the bridge, as it manages to look great from almost any angle.

The bridge is 185 metres long, with 30 openings, and is in very good condition considering its age. It now carries the Camperdown -Timboon Rail Trail across the valley, and has been sympathetically restored by adding a simple transverse timber deck and safety railings. The spans are a uniform 20 foot, with a rare and very unusual arrangement where 4 pile piers are interleaved with two pile piers with stay piles on the outside. This makes the bridge even more unique and attractive.

Shot from the northern end of the bridge, looking towards Timboon.

The complimentary view, from the south end looking north. 

Two views from the north-east quadrant.

View from the east side, showing Limeworks Road passing under the bridge.

View from the south bank of the river looking towards Timboon.

Three views of the river crossing. There is a small concreted ford at this location, part of which is seen in the last photo. The Curdies River is quite prone to flooding, given the massive rainfall in this part of the Otways, so clearing debris away from the bridge piles is a constant task.

And here is the video clip of the bridge, in glorious 4K if you have that capability.

Bridge over tributary of the Barwon River West Branch at Forrest - Birregurra To Forrest Railway

Just one kilometre north of the line terminus at Forrest, this small bridge spans a tributary of the Barwon River West Branch. The bridge has 7 openings, and is 45 Metres long. Unlike it's nearby companion, it has not been repaired, and the rail trail bypasses it. 

The reason for not repairing it is not known, considering the smaller bridge has been repaired, but the condition may be a clue, it would be relatively expensive to repair the damage and put a new deck and railings on it.

Bridge over the Barwon River West Branch at Forrest - Birregurra To Forrest Railway

Now this bridge is a bit of an embarrassment. With all my preparation for the visit to the area, I did not know that it existed. I actually had to sail straight past it in the car before I saw it. And to add to the embarrassment, there was yet another one 250 Metres further down the road. 

I cannot see how I missed them, although I suspect I was looking at a different route for the railway, but there they are. This one is quite small, only 3 openings, and has been 'sanitised' for use on the rail trail. But the work is not too destructive, as it looks to only involve new decking and rails.

Bridges over the Barwon River West Branch at Barwon Downs - Birregurra To Forrest Railway

Finally managing to get away and explore bridges again, Georgia the Gunzel Spaniel and I set out on January 26, Australia Day, heading for Victoria's South West. The plan was to spend two days shooting the bridges at Barwon Downs, then Timboon and finally Warrnambool.

We were graciously being accommodated by friends on their magnificent property at Wongarra, and that provided a welcome chance to enjoy the beauty of their property, the coast and their generous hospitality.

The target bridges are on private property at Barwon Downs, on the former Birregurra to Forrest Railway. The line opened in June of 1891 to provide access to the timber in the Otways and also to service the farming communities in the area. The line closed in 1957 and the rail was lifted. As it has lain disused for the better part of 60 years, much of the infrastructure is long gone.

But, as usual, the well built timber bridges are still in place, although somewhat worse for being abandoned.

Upon arriving at Barwon Downs about 9:00 AM, the first task was to identify which property the bridges were on and try to obtain permission from the property owner to cross their land to get to the bridges. Typically, this was not easy as it turned out, the larger bridge sits neatly in the corner of three properties. I managed to get permission of one landowner on Wickams Lane, the second owner referred me to the third and the third was not at home.

In the end, it worked out that the best, and safest route to the bridges, was to park near where the railway used to pass under Wickhams Lane, and walk south west down the old ROW to the bridges. The area looked ripe for Joe Blakes, so Georgia was left to look after parking the car. She managed to find a good place with a view of chickens. She likes chickens...

The first bridge you come to is the larger of the two, over a swampy section of the Barwon River West Branch. It consists of 11 openings, most of 15 feet. It is in quite good condition really, it would only require a new deck and rails in order to carry pedestrian and cycle traffic over it. The main structure is quite solid.

The first photo sets the place of the bridge in the landscape, taken looking south east, with the river at the right end.

The North end of the bridge, looking towards the river.

Looking north from the south end of the bridge, towards the cutting.

The second bridge is quite a lot shorter, being only 5 openings, but it spans the Barwon River West Branch proper. It is surprisingly low, and I would imagine would catch a lot of loose timber debris when the river floods. It is also not in as good condition as the larger bridge, two of its piers having sunk into the river bottom substantially.

This shot clearly shows the river and how close it is to the bottom of the bridge deck.

There is a move to extend the Forrest - Birregurra Rail Trail over this section, but it is being strongly opposed by landowners in the area.

Walking back to the car, I travelled north east up the ROW, which just north of the bridges, passes into a cutting where Wickams Lane crossed the line, with a timber road-over-rail bridge. The site of the bridge has been filled in, but some of the remains of the original road bridge can be seen stacked on the ROW at the entrance to the cutting.

Looking north up the cutting, the old road bridge timbers in a pile in the foreground.