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Barwon Heads Bridge

Location Barwon Heads/Ocean Grove Road,, BARWON HEADS VIC 3227 - Property No B6798 File Number B6798 Level State

[1/1] B6798 Barwon Heads Bridge

Statement of Significance

The 1927 Barwon Head Bridge is of State significance for its exceptional size, its estuarine setting on an historic tourist road, and as the best illustration of sympathetic modifications to a major timber bridge over time. The 308 metres deck length makes it one of the two longest timber road bridges in the State, and it is believed to be the longest all-timber bridge ever built by the Country Roads Board. Its Country Roads Board origins indicate that it was always considered of state rather than purely municipal significance. The Barwon Heads Bridgeis both a significant historical artifact from the 1920s, and a monument to Country Roads Board engineering ingenuity over many decades. A discreet use of steel, concrete and bitumen modifications meet contemporary traffic needs, but the original timber-pier pattern, old timber stringers and corbels and traditional timber railings preserve much of its historic "timber-look" authenticity and aesthetic appeal. It is one of very few Country Roads Board timber bridges from the 1920s which still operates. No other timber river bridge designed for an era of horse-drawn vehicles has survived so many modifications to meet changing traffic conditions, and still fuctions as a river bridge for modern automobile traffic on a busy road. The bridge forms a major link between major Victorian recreational and tourist-resort centres. Originally planned to meet tourist needs on a proposed extension of the Great Ocean Road, the long low bridge both fits into its impressive estuarine setting and provides memorable marine views. It has played a crucial historical role in the development of the popular twin beach-resort towns of Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, and in connecting Barwon Heads and Otways surfing resorts with the tourist facilities and attractions of the Bellarine Peninsula. Very few of our historic timber bridges whose construction at major stream crossings helped to shape river-crossing town settlements still exist, most being replaced by modern concrete and steel structures generally considered more suited to busy modern traffic.
Classified: 03/02/1997