Snowy River Rail Bridge

Introduction and history

Located some 375 kilometres east of Melbourne and near Australia’s Snowy River National Park, the township of Orbost was once a crucial point for the export of timber from mills in the East Gippsland region.

Drone photography by AUAV, property of Save the Snowy Rail Bridge Association

Originally, the Bairnsdale to Orbost railway line was sponsored as a speculative venture by the Victorian Legislative Assembly during the 1880s. This era was known as the ‘Boom Years’ and marked a period of widespread expansion for the state’s railway system with a series of “Octopus” Railway Construction Bills.

Railway map of Victoria (A Ward & Associates, 1988)

While rail lines had reached Bairnsdale by 1888, spurring strong economic and population growth in that locale, the extension to Orbost proved challenging due to the topography. It wasn’t until adaptive trestles (or bents) were developed in 1912 as a standard Victorian Railways bridge type, that responding to such topographical height variations became feasible. In 1916, the Bairnsdale to Orbost railway line opened to facilitate the transport of goods whilst providing improved access and connection between regional Victorian communities and centralised urban areas. Crossing the Snowy River floodplain, the line consisted of a large timber bridge designed with low trestles to accommodate the movement of water during times of flood.

Along with the provision of similar trestle structures in the eastern region, the Orbost-Bairnsdale line falls within the historic theme of Victorian Railway expansion associated with Edwardian Facilities Improvements. The line was ultimately closed in 1987 due to the “high cost of track and bridge maintenance and strengthening, together with very low user demand”

Orbost Line Snowy River Floods February 1971 (Public Records Office of Victoria)

The project

The Snowy Rail Bridge Restoration Project comprises the adaptive reuse of the longest remaining timber trestle bridge in Victoria.  At 770 metres, it is the larger of a pair of timber rail bridges situated on the now defunct Bairnsdale-Orbost line.

The restoration project brought about the adaptation of the bridge as a publicly accessible part of the East Gippsland Rail Trail, a walking and biking track which follows the route of the former Bairnsdale to Orbost railway line.

Drone photography by AUAV, property of Save the Snowy Rail Bridge Association

The heritage

Exhibiting a high degree of integrity, the bridge serves as an exemplar of technical significance highlighting the innovation and ingenuity of early Victorian rail structures. Standard iterations of trestles were modified in response to the landscape and terrain, with additional sections of trestles and bracing introduced as needed to reach the required height and strength.

The line played a crucial role in ending the isolation of forest communities along its length by introducing a reliable means of communication in and out of the region. The structures and sites are also associated with the development of East Gippsland trade with urban markets, offering an alternative to river and sea transportation for sending goods.

Photograph of Snowy River floodplain viaduct 1964. (Victorian Collections)

The outcome

A critical challenge of the project was finding methods of retaining heritage fabric which is in poor condition and beyond an ordinary expected lifespan. This was especially difficult considering that the defunct rail bridge was to be brought back into regular public use (pedestrian, bicycle, very light vehicle use). Achieving this required cross-disciplinary collaboration between heritage and engineering expertise.

With the proposed remediation works and the implementation of a continuous programme of maintenance and repairs, the design life of the bridge is in the order of a further 60 years.

The project was an opportunity to use heritage assets in a way that actives and enhances engagement within the local community, whilst contributing new forms of recreation and amenity.

Drone photography by AUAV, property of Save the Snowy Rail Bridge Association

References:

• A Ward & Associates 1988, Study of Historic Railway Buildings and Structures for V/Line

• rba Heritage Impact Statement

• VHD Statement of Significance

• Orbost and District Historical Society

• Save the Snowy Rail Bridge Association