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RAIL BRIDGE
OVER BROKEN RIVER, BENALLA, BENALLA RURAL CITY

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Victorian Heritage Register
RAIL BRIDGE SOHE 2008
RAIL BRIDGE SOHE 2008
RAIL BRIDGE SOHE 2008
1 rail bridge benalla length of bridge apr1994
h01061 plan h1061
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Statement of Significance

What is significant?

The Broken River Bridge was completed in March 1875 for the Victorian Railways' main north eastern trunk line, which connected Melbourne with Belvoir (Wodonga) in 1873, and which was extended to Albury in 1883. The ballasted single track bridge, comprising sixteen approach spans of 12.8m and one span of 36.9m, is supported on pairs of cylindrical iron piers supplied by James McEwan & Co, and erected by George Eskdale. The main span has a riveted wrought iron plate girder, featuring flying lateral braces at the abutments supplied by the Landlands Foundry Co. The iron girders on the approach spans were replaced with steel girders in 1912.

How is it significant?

The bridge over Broken River is of scientific, historical and social significance to the State of Victoria.

Why is it significant?

The bridge is a significant element of the North Eastern railway, the Colony of Victoria's third main trunk line. The line is important as an expression of the importance of the north eastern goldfields, and of the priority given by the colonial government to build a railway to connect the goldfields, the New South Wales Riverina, and the Murray River trade with the Port of Melbourne. The line is significant as the nation's first inter-capital rail link, and in this respect eclipses the earlier trunk lines in its economic role.

At the time of its construction it was the longest metal girder bridge in Australia (in overall length) and remained so until the completion of the Echuca-Moama Bridge in 1877. It was the second bridge of its type built in Victoria, and is believed to be the first metal railway bridge both designed and fabricated within the colony. Its cylindrical cast iron piers and large components of locally fabricated structural iron work demonstrate the change in construction technique adopted by the Victorian Railways following the opening of the first trunk lines to Ballarat and Echuca. The intact flying lateral braces on the main span girders are a distinctive characteristic of the major bridges on the north eastern railway.

The structure is a representative and essentially intact example of a railway bridge.

The bridge is a significant element of the first trunk line built totally under the direction of Thomas Higinbotham, Engineer in Chief of the Victorian Railways (1860-78).

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    • Permit Exemptions

      RAIL BRIDGE - 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.

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