Since 1916, over a century has passed, and in that time many bridges have been erected and gone out of service, deteriorating as time marched on. But one thing has remained: the Bairnsdale–Orbost Railway Line bridges. WRD has committed to recognizing the historical importance of structures and their role in our world: and, more importantly, made it part of our mission to help preserve them so future generations can appreciate their significance.
History of the Line
From the 1850s, settlers in East Gippsland depended on coastal ports for access and the transport of goods, but the entrances to these ports were unreliable and often dangerous. As settlers moved inland, more direct transport routes were needed. Rapid population growth in the new settlement areas, and the need to move goods to the Melbourne markets, drove demand for a railway line.
Commissioned by the Australian government in 1910 and completed in April 1916, the Bairnsdale–Orbost railway network was built by Victorian Railways and overseen by the respected engineer Maurice E. Kernot. It was one of the most expensive projects the company had undertaken at the time, and fell victim to the common issues of projects of this magnitude: material and labor shortages (especially during wartime), weather setbacks, and even injuries and deaths during construction. The line carried materials and goods and passenger services simultaneously; the last passenger lines ran until 1930, with brake-van rides lingering a while longer before disappearing. The railway ran until 1987, when the final train left Orbost station on August 21st. The route is now the East Gippsland Rail Trail, managed by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning with advice from a local Rail Trail Committee.
Construction of the Line
The line’s design drew on a North American concept, which helped when encountering different topographies and allowed the design to be adapted for different variables. A major obstacle was the nature of the land, hilly, and crossing many rivers and creeks. Plans were amended to minimize cost, but even so, many of the initial bridge designs had to be modified for the actual conditions encountered. The earthwork involved was estimated at 2,000,000 cubic yards (1,529,110 cubic meters), carried out largely by hand, with materials moved around sites primarily by horse-drawn vehicles.
The Mitchell, Nicholson, and Tambo Rivers and Boggy Creek were crossed by permanent metal bridges incorporating timber trestles for approach spans. Large timber trestle bridges were built at Stony Creek, Wairewa Road, Hospital Creek, and across the Snowy River floodplain. The line was constructed with 60 lb/yard steel rails (30 kg/m) and a ruling grade of 1:50 throughout. Sleepers were cut from Ironbark, Yellow Stringybark, and Mahogany hardwoods, the same timbers used for the trestle bridges.
Significance of the Line
The construction of this line resulted in numerous bridges and landmarks that are part of the heritage registry today. Many of the design principles and techniques developed for the line are still used more than 100 years later, visible in this series of railway bridges and countless others around the globe. The plans use connector and fastening-location techniques that WRD uses and teaches in our course offerings, evidence that the service life of timber bridges exceeds most accepted opinions, and that the methods WRD and partners such as Timber Restoration Services use are proven to help a structure stand the test of time.
The Orbost Railway Bridge is also significant in that its huge longitudinal beams are constructed from Southern Mahogany, once common nearby but since become rare. Much of the other infrastructure, like the Orbost Railway Station, is gone, but both bridges, including the huge 770-meter length of timber bridge, remain. The long, low profiles winding across the floodplain from Orbost toward Bairnsdale have long been a significant part of the river-plain landscape. Over the years the bridge has suffered flood damage, worsened by neglected maintenance, but the framework and bones of many bridges like the Snowy River Bridge remain.
What Remains Today
The Australian government has been working to preserve the historical significance of these bridges. As part of the East Gippsland Rail Trail, the Nicholson Bridge has been adapted and renovated so cyclists, hikers, and horse riders can cross safely, and the state government maintains its use as an essential link between Orbost and Bairnsdale. The Snowy River Bridge is also being supported as part of the rail trail, and the Boggy Creek bridge near Bruthen has been preserved. The Victorian Government recently launched an initiative to upgrade tracks and bridges along the rail trail, preserving the heritage and historical significance of the Orbost railway system.
These railway bridges are a reminder of our past and part of the country’s collective history, not just a link between two destinations, but a crucial moment in time for the country and its people. WRD had the pleasure of inspecting the Snowy River Bridge as part of the railway bridge network, assessing 100+ timber elements using compression-wave non-destructive testing among other methods. The WRD team presented a technical paper on the Snowy River Rail Bridge at the 2023 Australian Small Bridge Conference, alongside nine other technical papers ranging from best practices for restoring timber heritage sites to full-scale testing for glulam load-sharing values and the evolution of the Australian bridge code.
Preserving historical sites like these is essential to cultural identity and understanding our past, so it is important that we work together to keep them standing and accessible. WRD is dedicated to helping preserve these sites through careful timber inspection, assessment, wood analysis, restoration design to extend their life, and education on best practices. Our goal is to show others that saving these structures is not a hypothetical possibility but a reality, so they can continue to serve as a testament to our heritage for many years to come.