BRIDGE OVER MOONEE PONDS CREEK

FAWKNER STREET WESTMEADOWS, HUME CITY

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Victorian Heritage Register

BRIDGE OVER MOONEE PONDS CREEK SOHE 2008

Statement of Significance

• Additional Place Information

  • History

    BRIDGE OVER MOONEE PONDS CREEK - History

    Contextual History:
    The broad meadows of Broadmeadows were among the first areas sought out by the early settlers. In the area between the Moonee Ponds and Merri Creek, an early sheep farmer, Duncan Cameron, gave Broadmeadows its first place name - Glenroy, after Glenroy in Scotland. The most famous of the settlers in the Broadmeadows Shire was John Pascoe Fawkner. Fawkner took up a property which he named Pascoevilla, and which is today called Pascoe Vale. The district remained essentially pastoral for many years, because the holdings were large and held by men mainly raising sheep. The only other activities were dairying and the growing of farm produce along the streams and creeks. Later, extensive quarrying for building stone was carried out, and the original Princes Bridge, the former Chief Secretary’ Office and the Town Hall of Melbourne, were all built of stone quarried from Broadmeadows (Harvey, 1982, p.68-69).
    
    During the gold rush there were fortunes to be made in Broadmeadows by staying at home and providing for the needs of the gold-diggers. Broadmeadows, being on the main alternative route to the north (to diggings at Heathcote and the Ovens Valley) was well placed to benefit from this growing traffic (Lemon, 1982, p.31).
    
    History of Place:
    
    There had been agitation at Broadmeadows for a share of the greater Government spending on roads and bridges during the 1850s. The local farmers and storekeepers on the Tullamarine side of the creek were anxious for a bridge over the Moonee Ponds Creek to provide a shorter route to Cambellfield Mills, Pentridge and alike. As early as October 1851 a meeting was held at the property of Angus and George Cameron to discuss the issue.
    
    During this meeting the attendants pointed out that the route (via Camp Road) was a proclaimed Government Road. By the next winter a subscription list was being circulated among the locals to try to raise enough funds to attract a Government Grant, but without success. In June 1853 one of the Board’s Road Engineers, George Holmes, obligingly recommended that a bridge be built. Nothing happened until the following March, when after a further local petition, the project won the support of Francis Murphy who instructed that steps be taken to put the work out for tender. Influential landowners lived in the district still (Lemon, 1982, p.35).
    
    In the Spring of 1854 the bridge was finally completed, being built by George Smith for £1, 350. The bridge was constructed close to the position of the current bridge across Moonee Ponds Creek. The 1854 bridge had stone abutments, but the platform was of timber and was just twenty feet wide. Once the Central Roads Board had improved the Deep Creek Road and the branch road to Broadmeadows, the route over the bridge became much more popular (Lemon, 1982, p.35).
    
    In 1869 the present stone road bridge was constructed to replace the original 1854 bridge. The bridge was constructed by the Broadmeadows District Road Board and cost £1063. It was built with a government subsidy of £500 and Robert Grant was the contractor for its construction. It sits on unreserved Crown Land.

    Assessment Against Criteria

    BRIDGE OVER MOONEE PONDS CREEK - Assessment Against Criteria

    Criterion A
    The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria's history of the place or object.
    
    Bridge, over Moonee Ponds Creek Bridge is of historical importance for its associations with the expansion of Victoria's infrastructure in the 1860s and for its role in the development of transport systems. The bridge is an important indication of the early investment in roads which established important links in Victoria's transport system. It was particularly important in providing a more direct link between local producers and their clientele who were across the creek and further south. The route through Westmeadows was also an alternative route to the north goldfields.
    
    

    Criterion B
    The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.
    
    It is rare to see such elaborate detailing in a single small bridge such as this. Elaborate stonework detailing is more often seen on larger more prominent bridges.
    
    

    Criterion C
    The place or object's potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria's cultural heritage.
    

    Criterion D
    The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects.
    

    Criterion E
    The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features.
    
    Bridge, over Moonee Ponds Creek is important for its elaborate stonework detailing, in particular the arcaded balustrade, the use of contrasting granite and bluestone in the end piers and the dentils at road level. The construction of the bridge demonstrates skilled stonemasonry. It is a rare example of a small road bridge with elaborate detailing.
    
    

    Criterion F
    The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements.
    

    Criterion G
    The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations.
    

    Criterion H
    Any other matter which the Council considers relevant to the determination of cultural heritage significance

    Permit Exemptions

    BRIDGE OVER MOONEE PONDS CREEK - Permit Exemptions

    General Exemptions:

    General exemptions apply to all places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR). General exemptions have been designed to allow everyday activities, maintenance and changes to your property, which don’t harm its cultural heritage significance, to proceed without the need to obtain approvals under the Heritage Act 2017.

    Places of worship: In some circumstances, you can alter a place of worship to accommodate religious practices without a permit, but you must notify the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria before you start the works or activities at least 20 business days before the works or activities are to commence.

    Subdivision/consolidation: Permit exemptions exist for some subdivisions and consolidations. If the subdivision or consolidation is in accordance with a planning permit granted under Part 4 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and the application for the planning permit was referred to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria as a determining referral authority, a permit is not required.

    Specific exemptions may also apply to your registered place or object. If applicable, these are listed below. Specific exemptions are tailored to the conservation and management needs of an individual registered place or object and set out works and activities that are exempt from the requirements of a permit. Specific exemptions prevail if they conflict with general exemptions.

    Find out more about heritage permit exemptions here.

    Specific Exemptions:

    General Conditions:
    
    1. All exempted alterations are to be planned and carried out in a manner
    which prevents damage to the fabric of the registered place or object.
    2. Should it become apparent during further inspection or the carrying out of
    alterations that original or previously hidden or inaccessible details of the
    place or object are revealed which relate to the significance of the place or
    object, then the exemption covering such alteration shall cease and the
    Executive Director shall be notified as soon as possible.
    3. If there is a conservation policy and plan approved by the Executive
    Director, all works shall be in accordance with it.
    4. Nothing in this declaration prevents the Executive Director from amending
    or rescinding all or any of the permit exemptions.
    5. Nothing in this declaration exempts owners or their agents from the
    responsibility to seek relevant planning or building permits from the
    responsible authority where applicable.
    
    * No permit required for routine maintenance of the Bridge, over Moonee Ponds Creek
    
    * No permit required to replace like with like on the Bridge, over Moonee
    Ponds Creek

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