MCDONALDS ROAD FORMER RAILWAY BRIDGE

75 MCDONALDS ROAD KAWARREN, COLAC OTWAY SHIRE

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    MCDONALDS ROAD FORMER RAILWAY BRIDGE - History

    Promoting settlement in the Otway Ranges

    A series ofland acrs were passed in the 1860s in an attempt to create small farm

    holdings, whilsr ar the same time recognising the pioneering efforts of rhe squatters.

    Under the first land act, the 1860 Land Sales Acr, three million acres were surveyed

    into allotments of between 80 to 640 acres. No person could select more than 640

    acres annually, and the land had to be paid for outright, Dr half paid and half leased.

    Subsequently more land was made available for selecrion under the Land Acr (1862)

    and the 1865 Amendment Act. Then in 1869, most land - including unsurveyed

    land - became available for selection under the Land Act. (Sheehan, 2003: 19)

    The Otway Ranges, in south wesr Victoria, were firsr opened to agricultural

    selection in 1884, under rhe LandAct 1884, when allotmenrs were selecred from pre

    survey maps prepared by the Lands Department (Minchinton 2011:2). Wirhin ten

    years more than 200 allotments had been raken up (Houghton 2005: I).

    Yet it wasn'r until the arrival of the railway, during the 1870s, thar Victoria's

    isolared south wesrern region was considered penetrable. Until this rime, the Otway

    Ranges were virtually impassable and as such, were oflirrle economic value. The

    introduction of the railway provided the firsr all weather, fast and reliable transport

    service into the area, which as Houghton noted was 'characrerised by dense rimber

    and high rainfall' (Houghron 2003:5).

    Narrow gauge railways

    The role of the Colonial government in surveying the area in 1884 and 1889 was

    instrumental in the change from the design of a broad gauge to a narrow gauge

    railway, with the resulting decrease in cost. Although initially againsr the policy of

    the Victorian Railways, narrow gauge railways were eventually recommended for

    sparsely settled disrricts including Beech Forest (1902), Gembrook (1900) and

    Whitfield (1899) and Walhalla (1910), were eventually builr as narrow gauge lines.

    The fourth line, initially recommended as narrow gauge was builr as a broad gauge

    line at Warburton. The Beech Foresr line, is therefore not the earliesr nor the latest,

    but constructed at the peak of construction in rhe sparsely setrled ateas.

    During the 1890s pressure rose ro find the means to construcr cheap railways to the

    underdeveloped parts of Victoria, as the government realised that the cosr of

    providing communications ro the ourlying communities by means of railways was

    excessive for the small popularions served. In 1894 the Parliamentary Sranding

    Committee on Railways considered rhe use of narrow gauge railways. The idea was

    opposed by the Victorian Railways (VR) in that ir would introduce a non-srandard

    operating regime, which would without doubr incur extra costs, especially when

    stock had to be transferred between the two gauges.

    In 1895 the Commirree recommended that narrow gauge lines be only introduced

    in sparsely setrled areas. The first of the four narrow gauge lines, between

    Wangararra and Whitfield opened in March 1899. lr was followed by rhe Upper

    Ferntree Gully to Gembrook line in December 1900, the Colac ro Beech Forest line

    in March 1902 and rhe Moe to Walhalla in May 1910. The Colac to Beech Forest

    line was exrended to Crowes inJune 1911 (see Houghton 2003:6 and Thompson

    2004:2).

    An initial broad gauge line from Colac ro the top of the Otway Ridge had been

    construcred in 1884 bur ir was abandoned due to the high cost in laying rhe broad

    gauge, especially in such difficult terrain. The construction of the narrow gauge

    railway was delayed until 1900 when the initial section between Colac to Beech

    Forest was developed. It was completed by March 1902, by which time some

    44.7km ofline had been laid. The line was extended to Crowes, some 22.5km west

    of Beech Forest from 1909-1911. Not only did the narrow gauge railways open up

    of these isolated communities, they too provided a vital service for pioneer settlers,

    allowing food produce and people to cravel into and out of the region. The ColacBeech

    Forest-Crowes railway was an immediate success providing access to the

    forests. With this, timber could be harvested and sent out as 'palings, mining props

    and laths, charcoal, sleepers, posts, piles, barrel staves, furnirure and carriage timbers

    and sawn timber for building purposes' (Houghton 2012:21).

    Yet despite the use of these lines and the communities they served, the narrow gauge

    lines generally suffered heavy financial losses throughour their lifetimes and were

    closed as soon as conveniently possible (see Anchen 2012:3).

    Linking the Otway's by rail

    The topography of the Otway's required the design of the railway formation to be a

    complex affuir, with a climb of over 400m, traversing east-west flowing creeks on a

    north- sourh aspect and several drops into valleys. Designing the engineering

    solutions was challenging, with th guiding principle of minimizing earthworks in

    order to save cost. Wherever possible the roure was lid over narural surface with a

    low earthern mound and an occasional slight cut into the high side. This is typical

    of the section from Colac to Elliminyt.

    Other sections required the construction aflaw embankments to maintain an even

    bed in undulating terrain or to gain elevation to a hilltop or spur. Steep sided

    narrow box -cuttings are characteristic of the sections ITom near Elliminyt to

    Barongarook, Birnam to Gellibrand and southwards from Gellibrand for several

    kilometres.

    The steeper terrain posed futther engineering problems where the embankments

    and cuttings were higher and there is the use of 'borrow pits' and culverts. The

    - cuttings and embankments were formed with curves, following the outward face of

    the slope. Cuttings and embankments were generally of a shorr length apart from at

    the head of the Ten Mile where the long cuttings stand out. The design of the

    formation was adapted along its length to suit the nature of the terrain through the

    height, slope, batter and location of the cuttings and embankments, enabling the

    line to pass through the challenging countty.

    The formation was used as an important transport corridor for the people and

    industries of the West Otway Ranges at a time when road transport was primitive.

    The railway served the area economically for sixty years, carrying freight in and out,

    panicularly as outwards loading of bulk commodities that provided the bulk of the

    revenue derived from the line. The function of the railway was also to act as a

    transport conduit for the wider region with railheads connecting with road transport

    to the coast on the other side of the Otway Ranges.

    Construction took place in two periods of activity with the inirial48 kilometres

    from Colac to Beech Forest between 1900 and 1902, followed by a further 22.5

    kilometres to Crowes between 1909-1911. The railway was an immediate stimulus

    to the development of the region through providing fast, convenient and all weather

    access to the region. Fifteen bridges were constructed along the entire length of the

    Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line. Houghton notes that earth filled embankments

    were preferred on economic and maintenance grounds, with timber bridges being

    only used in wet areas and over the more 'substantial watercourses and very steep

    gullies' (Houghton 2012: 14).

    The bridges were built to a standard VR narrow gauge design and were constructed

    from Northern Victorian and Gippsland timber. Although originally built from

    local timber, this was eventually found to be toO soft and other timber was

    employed. The use of timber bridges was confined to the wettest areas, the steepest

    gullies and more substantial watercourses where earth fill was a liabiliry. Bridges

    were constructed of timber from northern Victoria, the local hardwood proving to

    be toO soft in comparison. Bridges were built to a standard Victorian Railways

    design for narrow gauge lines.

    The line has, throughout its life had numerous changes brought about through

    floods, bushfires, washaways and earth-slips. Natural disasters have taken their toll

    on the infrastructure. Cuttings and embankments have had to be CUt back or

    modified in response to damage, and buildings, stations and sidings needed constant

    maintenance and some replacement. Generally the modifications were carried out

    with similar materials and methods to the original construction.

    Building the formation

    The Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes railway was a narrow gauge mountain railway that

    was designed to secure communication between the broad gauge rail network at

    Colac and Beech Forest, and was specifically designed for rugged terrain. The

    earthworks, consisting of cuttings and embankments were designed to create an

    evenly graded bed that allowed for a gentle progression up and down the steep

    terrain through which it travelled.

    Houghton notes that the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line was 'not a simple liner

    one on a constant rising grade because the intervening topography has several eastwest

    flowing watercourses whose valleys had to be negotiated on a north-south axis.

    This entailed a climb from Colac to the divide between Barongarook Creek and

    Boundary Creek before dropping into the Boundary Creek valley, then another

    climb into the Ten Mile Creek valley and a drop into the Loves Creek valley and

    subsequent continuation to the floor of the Gellibrand River valley at 75 metres

    above sea level. From Gellibrand the climb to Beech Forest entailed a vertical rise of

    457 metres over 19km along the face of a long rising spur to the main Otway Ridge'

    (Houghton 2005:10).

    The variery of topography meant that the railway engineers constructed the rail

    route with the minimum amount of earthworks and where possible the roure was

    laid onto the natutal surface, with sleepers resting on sand/gravel/cindet ballast at

    150mm deep.

    Low embankmenrs were built to maintain an even track bed in undulating terrain

    or [0 gain elevation, where as more extensive earthworks were created in the 'true

    mountain sections of the route such as the head of the Ten Mile Creek to Birnanl

    section' (Houghron 2005: 12). Larger embankments had concrete culverts under

    them, which allowed water flow.

    Extraordinary engineeting feats were undertaken at the mountain sections of the rail line,

    where roadbeds were built on the 'extremiry of the outer edge of the /acing slope to

    minimise deep earthworks' (Houghton 2005: 12). This meant that the line had

    many tight curves, following the contours of the natural environment. Over the

    length of the line, cutrings and embankments were generally short, with the cutting

    walls having a sloping batter. Vertical batters were uncommon, as they were prone

    to slippage.

    Standard VR wooden portable or standard corrugated iron passenger shelters were

    located along the length of the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line. The installation of

    these differed to those of the broad gauge, in that they were placed on the surface,

    without raised platforms. Houghton notes that goods sheds were 'more solidly built

    on site and there were platform types of timber or corrugated iron' (see Houghton

    2005:13 and Houghton 2012:15).

    Operating a train service

    Other infrastructure included ramped platforms for the moving of farm machinety

    (at Weeaproinah and Wyelangta) and cranes for the timber trade (these were rare

    but were.provided at Beech Forest and Wyelangta).

    Stations were built without raised platforms and were of a standard Victorian

    Railways portable type. Smaller stations were simply corrugated iron shelter sheds

    and staff housing was provided also to standard design at Barongarook, Banool,

    Wimba, Weeaproinah, Lavers Hill, Wyelangta. Gellibrand" Crowes and Beech

    Forest.

    The servicing of the locomotives and the line meant that fixtures and other

    infrastructure were developed long its length, these included water points, coal

    storage, signals, distance markers, stopping places and a telephone line. Water

    points were located at Barongarook, Gellibrand, Wi mba, Oinmont, Beech Forest,

    Kincaid and Crowes, and these comprised weirs or pumps, concrete reservoirs,

    piping and elevated banks. Further infrastructure included loco sheds, located at

    Beech Forest and a coal storage, locatec! at Beech Forest (see Houghton 2005: 13

    and Houghton 2012:25).

    The service needs of the locomotives required substantial fixtures including water

    points at Barongarook. Gellibtand, Wimba, Oinmont, Beech Forest, Kincaid, and

    Crowes. Watering points required [he weirs or pumps, reservoirs, piping and

    elevated tanks. Much of this infrastrucrure is no longer evident. Concrete posts

    provided distance markers and communication via telephone along the full length

    of the line. A coal stage was provided at Beech Forest.

    Mile posts, or distance markers, were placed along the entire length of the railway.

    These were constructed from concrete and painted white with black numbering. A

    telephone line travelled the length of the line, so that there was communication

    from the Colac Station Master's office all the way to Crowes. The line was carried

    on wooden or iron poles and was set to the side of the track. Stopping places were

    only marked by name boards and have no obvious remains.

    Interpretation of Site

    MCDONALDS ROAD FORMER RAILWAY BRIDGE - Interpretation of Site

    Fifteen bridges were constructed along the entire length of the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes line. Houghton notes that earth filled embankments were preferred on economic and maintenance grounds, with timber bridges being only used in wet areas and over the more 'substantial watercourses and very steep gullies' (Houghton 2012:14). The bridges were built to a standard VR narrow gauge design and were constructed from Northern Victorian and Gippsland timber. Although originally built from local timber, this was eventually found to be too soft and other timber was employed. The use of timber bridges was confined to the wettest areas, the steepest gullies and more substantial watercourses where earth fill was a liability. With the closure of the railway, the formation and land was opened up to be purchased by adjoining landowners.

    Historical Significance

    MCDONALDS ROAD FORMER RAILWAY BRIDGE - Historical Significance

    The timber bridge is of historic importance through its association with the Colac-Beech Forest- Crowes railway line that contributed to the settlement of the Otway region.

    Archaeological Significance

    MCDONALDS ROAD FORMER RAILWAY BRIDGE - Archaeological Significance

    Medium potential to contain archaeological deposits.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    MCDONALDS ROAD FORMER RAILWAY BRIDGE - Heritage Inventory Description

    The site contains a timber railway bridge constructed as a part of the former Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes railway line.It is located on private land and permission was not granted to access the area. The bridge was viewed from McDonalds Road. The bridge appears part of the former railway embankment and looks to be constructed from timber. These features are characteristic of bridges built as part of the Colac-Beech Forest-Crowes railway. Its condition could not be assessed.

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