The 1000 kilometre Bibbulmun Track provides a pathway through the stunning south west of Western Australia.
Whilst thousands of short walks are undertaken on the Track each year – it is the lure of the long distance hike that attracts walkers back time and again – including walkers from around the world.
Two vital links in the Track are under threat – the Long Gully and River Road bridges.
These two impressive and historic timber trestle bridges are in urgent need of conservation works to survive. The timbers have deteriorated through exposure, rotting and splitting, bolted connections have corroded and foundations have subsided in some areas. The conservation works will require around $1 million.
Please donate to help us conserve our timber heritage and keep the Bibbulmun Track intact!
Long Gully (Asquith) Bridge
UPDATE - We are devastated to advise this historic bridge was destroyed in a bushfire on February 4, 2015. Funds raised will be used towards an alternative route or crossing. See news item.
Long Gully Bridge, near Dwellingup, is registered under the National Heritage Trust. It has significant historic and heritage value to the State as being one of the longest curved timber railway bridges remaining. It is an outstanding example of the technical and design expertise of the Western Australian Government Railways, and one of the finest railway bridges built in WA.
The 28 span, 10m high, 127.88 metre long, curved timber trestle construction bridge is very significant for the Bibbulmun Track as it provides walkers with an essential crossing point for the Murray River. Importantly the heritage and aesthetic values of the bridge enhance and enrich the overall experience for Bibbulmun Track walkers.
The rail network was used as an integral mode for the timber industry from the 1880’s to 1964. A railway to integrate the Serpentine-Jarrahdale area to the Dwellingup region was required. So a track was completed from the Asquith Block to Banksiadale Mill in 1948. This required the construction of the Long Gully or Asquith Bridge.
In the early 1950s, Asquith logs were brought to Banksiadale by G class locomotives (later replaced by more modern and powerful Cs class) and the sawn timber was returned to Dwellingup. The last trains to cross the bridge were around the time the Dwellingup burned down in 1961 when the railway line was closed. The bridge was later converted to road usage until 1992 when it closed off to vehicles. . In 1997, the Asquith Bridge became a feature of the Bibbulmun Track.
River Road Bridge
River Road Bridge is a wooden trestle structure for the log hauling railway. The 150 metre long bridge is one of the highlights in the Pemberton to Northcliffe section of the Track.
An article in the Western Mail, dated Thursday April 14th, 1949 stated that the life of Pemberton's No. 2 and No. 3 State Mills has been extended by around 30 years because of the construction of a bridge over the Warren River – the River Road Bridge. A decision was reached to build this bridge after smaller bridges had proved worthwhile in the Donnelly Valley (west of Manjimup), where twelve were constructed within six miles to tap valuable stands of bush. Remnants of some of these can be seen if you walk the Bibbulmun Track between One Tree Bridge and Chappel’s Bridge.
The article in the Western Mail also said that the bridge, which will give access to hew forests of karri and jarrah, has been built at a point where Spring Gully joins the Warren River, a distance of about nine miles by bush railway from Pemberton. It is possibly the biggest bridge of its kind in the Warren district, measuring 544 feet in length. Perfectly straight and on a level grade, it has a 12ft. decking and will serve the dual purpose of railway and road (forestry) crossing. It has 34 spans and is 26ft. high at the deepest point.
In charge of the construction were Bill Raper (who took a prominent part in the construction of the Donnelly bridges), H. Carn, and Terry Jones, of Pemberton. The construction took about three months to complete and was done in summer, when the Warren was at its lowest. At low water, only three piers are actually in the waters of the Warren and these naturally are at the deepest point. All sets over 15 feet high have an extra pile set vertically and are double-braced, as in winter a broad expanse of water tumbles beneath. The bridge required over 200 loads of round and sawn timber to construct and is estimated to have cost about 50/ a foot.Timber-getting operations are still being carried out well on the Pemberton side of the bridge in hillsides thick with karri.
The last logging trains travelled across the River Road bridge in 1964. The steam locomotive which towed this final train is now on display in the main street of Pemberton. Today the bridge is an important link across the river for both the Bibbulmun Track walkers and Munda Biddi Trail cyclists.
As this is the only crossing over the Warren River the Munda Biddi Trail intersects the Bibbulmun Track at this point so it is a dual use bridge.
Any alternative route would be significant and require the building of at least one new campsite as the existing Warren Campsite is located close to the bridge. This would cost more than restoring the bridge. Additionally, a highlight on both trails, as well as a part of WA’s timber heritage, would be lost.