Announcement by Premier Daniel Andrews, Minister for Public Transport, Jacinta Allan and Member for Eltham, Vicki Ward mad alongside the Eltham Railway Trestle Bridge. MEDIA RELEASE "More Trains And Fewer Delays On The Hurstbridge Line" https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/180801-More-Trains-And-Fewer-Delays-On-The-Hurstbridge-Line-1.pdf Commuters on the Hurstbridge line will have more trains, more seats and fewer delays with a re-elected Andrews Labor Government to continue its massive upgrade of the Hurstbridge line. The Andrews Labor Government said it would deliver locals in Melbourne’s north-east more peak hour train services and less time stuck at boom gates, and we have. The first stage of the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade has been delivered – six months early and on budget. This includes the new Rosanna Station, duplicated track between Heidelberg and Rosanna and the removal of the dangerous level crossings at Alphington and Rosanna. There’s more to do and only Labor will deliver the next stage of the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade to give local commuters more train services and a more comfortable commute. The $530 million project will include a brand new train station at Greensborough and the duplication of three kilometres of track between Greensborough and Montmorency, and 1.5 kilometres of track between Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen to allow more train services during the morning peak. This will allow trains to run every six and a half minutes at Greensborough, every 10 minutes at Eltham and Montmorency, and every 20 minutes at Hurstbridge, Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen – as well as two extra Hurstbridge express services. Locals on the Labor Government’s new Mernda line will also get five extra train services during the morning peak, with a major upgrade of the Clifton Hill junction where the Mernda and Hurstbridge lines connect. Labor will also protect the Eltham Trestle Bridge – the last remaining timber bridge on Melbourne’s electric train network – which has local heritage protection and is an important part of the area’s character. The Liberals will leave this bridge to rot and demolish the nearby childcare centre and football club with their under-cooked and under-costed promise to upgrade the Hurstbridge line. Only Labor will protect this important piece of Melbourne’s history with planning work to be carried out for a long-term solution as part of the project. Stage two of the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade will create more than 950 jobs, with construction to start in 2020 and finish by 2022. Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews “We said we’d upgrade the Hurstbridge line and remove dangerous and congested level crossings at Rosanna and Alphington and we did – but there’s more to do.” “Only Labor will deliver the next stage of the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade with a new Greensborough Station and more trains, more often.” Quote attributable to Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan “The former Liberal Government promised new train lines but didn’t deliver a single kilometre of track – now they’re promising a half-baked upgrade of the Hurstbridge line with rubbery figures that don’t add up.” Quote attributable to Member for Eltham Vicki Ward “As a fifteen year old hopping on Red Rattlers at Eltham I wanted to do something to make the Hurstbridge line better. It’s taken me a few decades but finally our line will offer the frequency of services that are expected and needed in a 21st century city.”Born digital image (qty 27)jacinta allan, minister for public transport, panther place, premier daniel andrews, press announcement, railway line construction, trestle bridge, vicki ward mp for eltham, victorian parliament

Alistair Knox Park, an oasis of peace and beauty. Covered under National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Landscape Significance and Heritage Overlay, Nillumbik Planning Scheme. Published: Nillumbik Now and Then /​ Marguerite Marshall 2008; photographs Alan King with Marguerite Marshall.; p173 It is hard to imagine that the Alistair Knox Park, an oasis of peace and beauty beside busy Main Road, Eltham, was once the township’s rubbish dump. It was only in the 1970s that the tip was transformed into this beautiful six hectare space, which later earned it a National Trust Landscape classification. Before its life as a dump, the area was used for small farms. Thanks largely to the foresight and efforts of local environmental builder Alistair Knox, the park was designed sympathetically with the character of the wider Eltham landscape. Then, appropriately, the park was named after Knox, who was an Eltham Shire Councillor from 1971 to 1975 and Shire President in 1975. The park designers were four major forces in the urban bush landscape garden –Knox, landscape designer Gordon Ford, artist Peter Glass and landscaper Ivan Stranger.1 The National Trust citation for the park, originally called Eltham Town Park, includes the Eltham railway trestle bridge and the Shillinglaw Cottage. The citation states ‘the semi-natural setting of the parkland provides a landscape which is evocative of the history of the area’. Manna Gums (Eucalyptus viminalis) and Candlebarks (Eucalyptus rubida) are significant features. Most of the park’s construction was directed by Bob Grant, Superintendent of the Parks and Gardens Department for the Eltham Shire Council. First plantings occurred in Arbour Week in 1973, then the lake and botanic area were completed in 1975, with Federal Government funding, and the toilet block in 1978. Bounded by the Eltham railway line, Panther Place, Main Road, Bridge and Susan Streets, the park is in a valley about a kilometre wide overlooked by steep hills at the east and west. The Diamond Creek flows through it and the picturesque historic timber trestle railway bridge edges the north. Informal plantings of Australian indigenous and native species in open and undulating grassed settings blend with the natural landscape of the Diamond Creek to the west. The bush-style plants, particularly around the creek, balance with open lawns, paths and a cascade flowing from a small lake to another below. A footbridge over the creek leads to the park’s west. The park includes an adventure playground and barbecue areas. The park stands on part of the land bought from the Crown in 1851 by Josiah Holloway, who subdivided it into allotments and which he called Little Eltham. Most of the land was subdivided into residential lots, but the creek valley, on which the park stands, was subdivided into farm-size lots, used mainly for orchards and grazing. One of the earliest owners was John Hicks Petty, who in 1874 bought a plot from Holloway. Other families who owned properties in that area, included Rees, Clark, Waterfall, Graham, Hill and Morant.2 In 1901 the railway was built through the area. Jock Read, an Eltham resident since around 1920, remembers several farms in the 1920s and ’30s that occupied the site of today’s park. A poultry farm, which extended from present day Panther Place, was owned by the Gahan family. Next to that farm was another for grazing cattle owned by Jack Carrucan. Beside this was land owned by John Lyon. A doctor lived beside this, and at the north-west corner of Bridge Street and Main Road stood a memorial to the soldiers who died in World War One, which was later moved to the RSL site. Mr Read also remembers other farms and orchards west of the creek In the early 1960s the Eltham Council began buying these farms and in the late 1960s turned the areas east of the Diamond Creek into a garbage tip. When this was filled above the creek’s flood plain, the tip was moved to the west of the creek.This collection of almost 130 photos about places and people within the Shire of Nillumbik, an urban and rural municipality in Melbourne's north, contributes to an understanding of the history of the Shire. Published in 2008 immediately prior to the Black Saturday bushfires of February 7, 2009, it documents sites that were impacted, and in some cases destroyed by the fires. It includes photographs taken especially for the publication, creating a unique time capsule representing the Shire in the early 21st century. It remains the most recent comprehenesive publication devoted to the Shire's history connecting local residents to the past. nillumbik now and then (marshall-king) collection, alistair knox park, eltham

The Stony Creek Trestle Bridge was built in 1916 when the existing rail line from Melbourne to Bairnsdale was extended to Orbost. This 97km Bairnsdale to Orbost extension through rugged terrain was reputed to have been the most difficult rail project undertaken in Victoria. In service for over 60 years the bridge was damaged by bushfire in 1980, with the last train crossing in 1987. At 247m long and 20m high, it is the largest standing bridge of its kind in the State, and is listed on the Register of Historic Sites. Built of red ironbark and grey box timber, it is a fine example of the early engineering skills that utilised the resources and materials found on site.The Bairnsdale to Orbost rail line contains the most varied range of timber & timber composite bridges on any Victorian line. The Stoney Creek bridge is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for its architectural and historical significance. A black / white photograph of a very tall wooden railway bridge with a train along the top.railway-bridge stoney-creek-bridge east-gippsland-railway

The Stony Creek Trestle Bridge was built in 1916 when the existing rail line from Melbourne to Bairnsdale was extended to Orbost. This 97km Bairnsdale to Orbost extension through rugged terrain was reputed to have been the most difficult rail project undertaken in Victoria. In service for over 60 years the bridge was damaged by bushfire in 1980, with the last train crossing in 1987. At 247m long and 20m high, it is the largest standing bridge of its kind in the State, and is listed on the Register of Historic Sites. Built of red ironbark and grey box timber, it is a fine example of the early engineering skills that utilised the resources and materials found on site. (More information Newsletter July 2013)Built during the period 1914-16, of Gippsland Grey Box and Red Ironbark, the Stoney Creek bridge on the East Gippsland Railway is a fine example of early engineering skilll , being constructed without the aid of any of the modern machinery available today. This is a rare photograph and of high significance in showing the bridge under construction.Landscape format black + white photograph (unframed). Four pin holes in each corner, tear to top left quadrant and fold / crease top to bottom in centre of image.construction, 1916, railway bridge, timber industry, trestle construction, stony creek bridge, east gippsland, bairnsdale to orbost line

In 1977 great efforts were being made to preserve this bridge, the highest trestle bridge in Victoria at Stoney Creek. The Stony Creek Trestle Bridge was built in 1916 when the existing rail line from Melbourne to Bairnsdale was extended to Orbost. This 97km Bairnsdale to Orbost extension through rugged terrain was reputed to have been the most difficult rail project undertaken in Victoria. In service for over 60 years the bridge was damaged by bushfire in 1980, with the last train crossing in 1987. At 247m long and 20m high, it is the largest standing bridge of its kind in the State, and is listed on the Register of Historic Sites. Built of red ironbark and grey box timber, it is a fine example of the early engineering skills that utilised the resources and materials found on site.The Bairnsdale to Orbost rail line contains the most varied range of timber & timber composite bridges on any Victorian line. The Stoney Creek bridge is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register for its architectural and historical significance.A black / white photograph of a very large trestle bridge. a steam locomotive, with loaded goods trucks, is on the bridge. stoney-creek trestle-bridge railway east-gippsland-railway

Part of a slide show presentation "Bridges & Waterways of the Shire" by Russell Yeoman to the 13 September 1989 Society meeting. The presentation included slides of historic photos from the Shire of Eltham Pioneers collections as well as several recent views.35mm colour positive transparency (1 of 33) Mount - Agfa CS System grey 8 dotsProcess Date Sep 1989eltham railway trestle bridge

Murray's Bridge over the Diamond Creek on the Diamond Creek Trail just prior to demolition and replacement with a new steel bridge. Heritage advice obtained by Nillumbik Shire Council, following a suggestion by the Eltham District Historical Society (EDHS), is that the original bridge appears to have been a simplified version of the Country Roads Board’s (CRB) standard timber bridge design of the early-to-mid 1920s. In c1990 Murray’s bridge was renovated with three recycled steel girders as part of a bike/pedestrian path in the reserve. During these alterations many parts of the bridge were removed, and some were replaced. Heritage advice indicates the condition of Murray’s bridge is poor. The remaining original parts are all in poor condition, with severe weathering, splitting and rot, especially to the stringers retained on the bridge. Heritage advice is that Murray’s Bridge does not have sufficient significance in the cultural history of the Nillumbik area to warrant inclusion in the Nillumbik Shire Heritage Overlay and also does not have sufficient significance as a rare survivor to warrant inclusion in the Nillumbik Shire Heritage Overlay. There are no indications in the historical record that this site was individually important to the cultural history of this area. EDHS is comfortable with the heritage advice provided to Council and has worked closely on this project with Council. EDHS has suggested some of the removed timbers be used in the vicinity of the bridge for landscaping and possibly seating, so as to retain these remnants close to the site of the original bridge, which is the last old timber bridge along the lower reaches of the Diamond Creek. Mary (Sweeney) Murray and John Wright Murray selected 80 acres, Lot C Section 16 and Lot 5 Section 17 Parish of Nillumbik, under an occupation license in 1866. John died in 1867 and freehold was granted to his son John in 1873. The farm was known as ‘Laurel Hill’. John Junior was an Eltham Shire councillor and sometime president from 1887 up until 1897. He added Lot A Section 16 to the farm in ca1888. John and his younger brother James arranged to rent/purchase Lot B Section 17, across Diamond Creek to the west, in ca1900. It appears that John and James farmed separately for a few years, with a new homestead built for James ad family on the high point of Lot B Section 17 in ca1910. John sold off Lot 5 Section 17 in 1912. When John died in 1912 James took over the land on both sides of the Diamond Creek. The old homestead on the west side of the Creek disappeared. A farm bridge over Diamond Creek from this period may have been located close to the northern boundary of the farm. John Langlands, owner of the farm known as ‘Ihurst’ on the west side of Diamond Creek to the south of the Murray’s land, died in 1907. In 1909 his land was then subdivided into 100 lots to become the ‘Glen Park Estate’. Other similar subdivisions of nineteenth century farms around Eltham in this period included the ‘Franktonia (or Beard’s) Estate’ to the northeast and ‘Bonsack’s Estate’ between Eltham and Greensborough. Soon after the opening of the railway extension line from Eltham to Hurstbridge in 1912, Glen Park and nearby residents including James Murray agitated for a railway station or siding to be located half-way between Eltham and Hurstbridge, so that the Glen Park residents who used the railway daily did not have to walk into the Eltham or Hurstbridge stations. Some believed Coleman’s Corner (opposite Edendale Farm) was an appropriate spot for the platform. James Murray was among those who thought the railway should be located on his land, closer to half-way between Eltham and Hurstbridge stations. The Railways Commissioners warned that the locals would have to fund these works themselves. The Glen Park Estate residents initially had difficulty accessing Eltham by road, with only an old low-level bridge over Diamond Creek at the south end of their estate. A new timber trestle bridge across the creek, now on Wattletree Road, was opened in 1915. Road access to the north was gained in 1927 when the new Murray’s Road, which crossed the Murray’s land, was built. Residents continued to agitate for a Glen Park station. By 1926 the Railways Commissioners’ preferred site was on the Murray’s land. They arranged an estimate of cost of a full-length platform. The estimate was too much for the locals, who in 1928 argued unsuccessfully for a shorter and hence cheaper platform. By 1929 Murray had agreed to donate the land, but the locals would still have to fund the works. Murray decided, unilaterally it would appear, to commence work on a timber trestle road bridge over Diamond Creek to link the new Murray Road to the proposed station. Late in 1929 he stopped work on the bridge, for reasons unknown, but started work again and completed the bridge in 1931. There is no further newspaper evidence of the campaign for the Glen Park station until 1939, when Murray and another local, Mr Maxwell, met the Railways Commissioner. The Glen Park locale now included 45 homes on the west side of the creek and 20 on the Eltham side. Most of the residents used the train every day. The Commissioner remained adamant that only a full-length platform could be built for safety reasons. It appears the campaign dissolved at this point. The increasing move to cars may have had an impact. There is no evidence of Murray’s bridge ever being connected to Murray’s Road, or of it having wide use for any purpose by locals. James Murray died in 1947 and the farm was taken over by his son James (Jim). Jim started to sell off parts of the farm in the 1980s, retaining a few acres around the ca1910 homestead and building a new house there. Recreation reserves were established along the creek. In ca1990 Murray’s bridge was renovated with steel girders as part of a bike/pedestrian path in the reserve. The old farmhouse was demolished in ca2014. * * * A theory posted on local community Facebook groups was that the bridge was built in the 1860s and was built to be more robust than was necessary for the movement of cows from one side of the creek to the other. It was suggested the robustness was necessary to support the weight of gold ore being transferred from a mine on Murray’s land to a railway siding near Murrays Bridge (presumably for transfer and processing at Diamond Creek). Perhaps this may have been one of the motivators for Murray, who really knows? Knowing when mining operations ceased on his land and how that fits the overall timeline would be useful but at the time the bridge was built, local gold production was minimal at best. The known facts are: • The railway line came to Eltham in 1902. • The extension of the railway from Eltham to Hurstbridge was constructed in 1912 so no railway line even existed through Murray's property until 1912 and the Victorian Railways maps at the time show no such siding on Murray’s property. • In 1923 a new company was formed in anticipation of the old Diamond Creek Gold Mine being re-opened. The mine had been previously closed and flooded. It was noted in the press at the time that the mine was within a mile of the railway. Nothing really came of this. • Construction of Murrays Bridge was commenced by James Murray in early 1929 in anticipation of a proposed flag station being nominated on his land, but work ceased shortly afterwards. The proposed flag station was commonly referred to as Glen Park as the residents of the Glen Park Estate wanted Option 1, located near them with the platform adjacent to Colemans corner. This was probably never going to fly as it was virtually in eyesight of Eltham station. Allandale Road was the third option, but the Commissioners' preferred option was No. 2 - on Murray's property. • The Railway Commissioners were not going to finance any such station and the works had to be funded by private landowners and residents, hence Murray investing in this himself. • Murray recommenced work two years later and finished his bridge in 1931 but unfortunately for him, the proposed flag station never eventuated. The bluestone siding you reference may well have been built by Murray as part of the proposed station platform. • Up until then, apart from the Main Road bridge, which was washed away in 1924, virtually all local crossings over the Diamond Creek were low lying bridges – Kaylocks Bridge at Brougham Street, Diamond Street bridge, Glen Park Road bridge. It is expected that Murray also had a low-lying bridge to connect his land either side of the creek. These were all washed away or severely damaged multiple times in the 1920s. Lessons were learnt, and Murrays Bridge appears to have been built in accordance with Country Road Board standards of the time. Flood damage was ongoing, and even more recently constructed raised bridges kept getting washed away, e.g., the new Wattle Tree Road bridge in 1958 just months after completion. Murray’s bridge was reinforced with steel some 30 years ago presumably to provide additional floodwater resistance, given the history of bridges disappearing in floodwaters. • In March 1932 it was reported in the Advertiser that there were still some prospectors operating around Eltham North who apart from further scarring the face of the earth over the previous two years had gained significant experience but little gold - hardly a driving factor for constructing a dedicated railway siding and bridge to transfer gold ore. It is far more probable that James Murray was hoping to have the railway station located on his property and invested his money by building the bridge to lead to it as well as a station platform. Had the station eventuated, it may well have driven up the value of his land for subdivision and new housing estates like the Glen Park Estate. That did not eventuate. Whilst the bridge was indeed old (90 years), the core structure being completed in 1931, it had been modified substantially from original and hence had no significant historic value – i.e., it was not a representative example of its type, construction, and age. Given that the bridge was not worthy of saving, the Eltham District Historical Society with Council’s support, and the Eltham Woodworkers group endeavoured to see what suitable sized timbers were salvageable to fabricate a commemorative seat. Unfortunately, the experts at the Woodworkers group were unable to salvage any suitable length/width timbers to fabricate the seat due to the presence of rot. Last remaining wooden trestle bridge on the Diamond Creek Trail just prior to demolition and replacementBorn digital image (27)diamond creek (creek), diamond creek trail, murrays bridge, ‘laurel hill’, john wright murray, mary (sweeney) murra, john murray jnr, james murray, john langlands, ‘ihurst’, ‘glen park estate’, beard's estate, franktonia, bonsack's estate, glen park estate, glen park railway station

A postcard in a series produced by the Rose Stereograph Company in Victoria, Australia as a souvenir of Marysville.A black and white photograph showing trees and tree ferns, taken along the Michaeldene Trail near Lady Talbot Drive in Marysville in Victoria. The Michaeldene Trail is a level two loop that leads to the Taggerty River Lookout and may be undertaken as either as a Short (2.7 km) Loop, or a Long (4.3 km) Loop - 30 minutes to one hour and a half. The attractive bushland linking the Steavenson and Taggerty Rivers allows walkers and cyclists to step back in time to Marysville’s historic logging past. Sections of this mostly flat circuit follow old tramline alignments, which in places reveal the original timber sleepers on which the big logs were transported to the nearby sawmill.The Taggerty River Lookout offers views over the Taggerty River. The Trestle Bridge was built to span a small gully and provide access to the timber on Red Hill. Lady Talbot Drive is a 24 kilometer scenic rainforest car journey which passes a number of walks and waterfalls in the Yarra Ranges National Park. Lady Talbot Drive is named after Lady Sarah Elizabeth, the wife of Sir Reginald Talbot, who was the Governor of Victoria from 25th April, 1904 to 6th July 1908. This postcard was produced by the Rose Stereograph Company as a souvenir of Marysville.REAL PHOTO POST CARD THE "ROSE"SERIES DE LUXE PRODUCED IN AUSTRALIA Published by "The Rose Stereographs" Armadale, Victoria.marysville, victoria, michael dene, michael dene track, p. 2307, walking track, rose series postcard, postcard, souvenir, lady talbot drive, sarah elizabeth talbot, sir reginald talbot

A postcard in a series produced by the Rose Stereograph Company in Victoria, Australia as a souvenir of Marysville.A black and white photograph showing trees and tree ferns, taken along the Michaeldene Trail near Lady Talbot Drive in Marysville in Victoria. The Michaeldene Trail is a level two loop that leads to the Taggerty River Lookout and may be undertaken as either as a Short (2.7 km) Loop, or a Long (4.3 km) Loop - 30 minutes to one hour and a half. The attractive bushland linking the Steavenson and Taggerty Rivers allows walkers and cyclists to step back in time to Marysville’s historic logging past. Sections of this mostly flat circuit follow old tramline alignments, which in places reveal the original timber sleepers on which the big logs were transported to the nearby sawmill.The Taggerty River Lookout offers views over the Taggerty River. The Trestle Bridge was built to span a small gully and provide access to the timber on Red Hill. Lady Talbot Drive is a 24 kilometer scenic rainforest car journey which passes a number of walks and waterfalls in the Yarra Ranges National Park. Lady Talbot Drive is named after Lady Sarah Elizabeth, the wife of Sir Reginald Talbot, who was the Governor of Victoria from 25th April, 1904 to 6th July 1908.REAL PHOTO POST CARD THE "ROSE"SERIES DE LUXE PRODUCED IN AUSTRALIA Published by the Rose Stereographs Armadale, Victoria. Tomorrow is your Official day/ I believe. So Very Very many happy/ returns, & best of luck & good/ wishes from/ your May I rec'd this on/ 1st. (illegible)/ thought it a good snap of our ferns.marysville, victoria, michael dene, michael dene track, p. 2307, walking track, rose series postcard, postcard, souvenir, lady talbot drive, sarah elizabeth talbot, sir reginald talbot

Contents include short articles and illustrations of historic properties within the municipalities of Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea. Including The Griffin House, Rosehill, Lower Plenty, The Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, St John's Church, Heidelberg, Banyule, Heidelberg, Trestle Bridge, Eltham, Diamond Valley railway, The Shillinglaw Cottage, Eltham, Montsalvat, Old England Hotel, Heidelberg, Eltham Primary School, Mud brick homes, Eltham, Sweeney's Cottage, Eltham, Pound Pend Tunnel, The Gold Memorial, Potter's Cottage, Memorial Tower, Charterisville, Weller's Pub, The Barrel, Eltham, Hassall's Gallery, The Old Bridge, Greensborough, Diamond Valley Shire Offices, Greensborough, St Katherine's Chapel, Yan Yean Reservoir, Mernda Hotel, Mernda Mechanics Institute, Old Barn, Mernda, Parade College, La Trobe University.Hardback with jacket ; 63 p. : ill., maps ; 22cm. diamond valley shire, shire of nillumbik, city of whittlesea, city of banyule, shillinglaw cottage, weller's hotel

NC Van The NC guard's vans were originally classed NDD. In the 1910 reclassification they were classified NC. Apart from the windows and height they were externally the same as the NBC vans. Inside there were benches along both side walls. One end was equipped with a small guard's compartment. This had two corner seats, two desks with ticket selling windows and a letter rack. A novel feature was a folding dog cage under one of the benches. Six NC Brake Van / Guards Vans were built by Victorian Railways 1 NC was built in 1909 as NDD and reclassed 1NC in 1910. 2 NC was built and placed into service Nov 1912 3 NC , 4 NC and 5 NC were built and placed into service June / July 1914 6 NC was Built and placed into service in 1919 1 NC, 4 NC and 6 NC were all scrapped by Victorian Railways between 1954 and 1957 2NC - Brake Van (4 ton capacity) VR Service History 26/11/1912 NWS Built new 2 NC *NC 2.VA - 26/11/1912 NWS Built new - circa 1926 - Modified AC Malco BO 6/ 7/1932 NWS Into Workshops - 5/ 8/1932 NWS Out of Workshops (31 days) 2/10/1937 NWS Into Workshops - 3/12/1937 NWS Out of Workshops (63 days) 25/ 1/1945 NWS Into Workshops - 23/ 2/1945 NWS Out of Workshops (30 days) Dec 2016 - Puffing Billy Rollling Stock register Puffing Billy Service History or Notes 21 Oct 1995 - Loco 7A and 2 NC collides with trolleys NK 3, Jenny, & NG 1 on the SELBY side of the MONBULK CREEK trestle bridge. Historic - Victorian Railways - Narrow Gauge Rolling Stock - NC Brake VanBrake Van (4 ton capacity) made of Timber and wrought iron2NCpuffing billy, 2nc, 2'6" gauge, victorian railways, 2 nc brake van

Walter Withers was a significant Australian landscape artist and a member of the Heidelberg School of Australian Impressionists. In 1903 Withers bought 'Southernwood', a house on 2½ acres (1 ha) at Eltham, to which he added a studio. Because of ill health, he lived during the week at his studio in Oxford Chambers, Melbourne, and on weekends and holidays with his family at Eltham until his death in 1914. The Eltham rail bridge is a unique and valuable historic relic of an earlier steam locomotive transport era in the Diamond Creek Valley and has long formed an important part of a magnificent Eltham landscape. When built in 1902 it was close to the terminus point of the Heidelberg-Eltham rail extension, on the route of the proposed Diamond Valley Railway that was then planned to continue much further up the valley towards Kinglake. This bridge is situated in attractive river-valley parkland amidst the tall and spreading manna gums and candlebarks of the Diamond Creek Valley. The Alistair Knox Park river-valley landscape, of which the timber trestle bridge is an important visual component, has been classified by the National Trust. Large manna gum and candlebark trees adorn the adjacent creek banks, and historic Shillinglaw Cottage is also part of this much-prized Eltham landscape. Eltham is home to a historic wooden railway trestle bridge. Mainly of timber-pier and timber-beam construction, but varied by a few longer steel-joists spans on timber piers at the main stream channel, this substantial bridge has almost two hundred metres of timber deck. Built in 1902, it is the only railway bridge of predominantly timber construction that is still in regular use as an integral part of Melbourne's metropolitan electric railway network and one of extremely few timber rail bridges in the State that still carry trains. Apart from its important continuing social function as a carrier of rail transport for the Hurstbridge line, this impressive bridge and its beautiful parkland environs contribute much to the character of Eltham township and that town's special reputation as an historic centre of environmental and conservation concerns. This section of the Diamond Creek Valley was the subject of a Walter Withers painting in the earliest years of the twentieth century and has strong historic links with our Heidelberg School of painters. Watercolour painting on paper of Eltham's Trestle Bridge in the middle of the day. A small section of the wooden bridge is located to the left of the painting. The focus is predominately on the wattle, manna gum and candlebark trees that is to the right of the bridge. The golden hues typically represent the australian sunlight and landscape. "W.W" in gothic script on the lower right side of the painting. Not dated. withers, eltham, trestle bridge, railway, watercolour

Nimons Bridge was built in 1890, as part of the then Ballarat-Linton railway. The bridge is 17 spans with tall timber piers of four driven piles each, with triple sets of diagonal cross-bracing and walers and a single row of longitudinal horizontal bracing between piers. The spans are of a uniform twenty feet (6.1 metres), originally supported by four 21-inch x 9-inch (535 mm x 230 mm) Kauri timber beams per span, following the standard V.R. design of the period. When the superstructure was rebuilt after the 1953 fire, the timber beams were replaced with two 24-inch (610mm) deep rolled-steel-joists on each span. These are marked 'Lancashire Steel Co., Scotland' and are believed to have been second-hand. The deck of transverse-timber planks is 103.6 metres in length. Overall the bridge has an impressive appearance with its exceptionally tall triple-cross-braced piers creating a 'three-tiered' effect, with the deck 19.2 metres above the Woady Yaloak River. The Ballarat-Skipton line closed in 1985. Nimons Bridge has been recently restored, as part of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail. How is it significant? Nimons Bridge is significant for technical, historic and aesthetic reasons at a State level. Why is it significant? Nimons Bridge is technically significant as Victoria's fourth-tallest timber trestle bridge when built, and as the third-tallest surviving example. It is also the second-largest composite bridge combining traditional timber piers with RSJ spans and a timber deck and falls within a select group of fewer than ten timber railway bridges with horizontal longitudinal bracing between the piers and three sets of double cross-bracing on its tallest piers, creating a visually striking 'three tiered' effect that enhances its viaduct form. Nimons Bridge is historically significant as having served initially the mining community at Linton, then the Western District agricultural area and in later years a kaolin quarry at Pittong. Nimons Bridge is historically significant as a representative of the 'light' branch line methodology that stimulated the explosion of railway construction in Victoria during the 1880s, and provides an interesting contrast with the more solid and vastly more expensive railway viaducts built in similar terrain on Victorian main lines, at Moorabool and Taradale, in the late 1850s. Approached by a deep cutting and high embankment at either end, the bridge represents a very cost-effective late 19th century engineering solution to the characteristic physiography of western Victoria with flat basalt plains intersected by deep wide valleys occasionally subject to severe flooding. Nimons Bridge is aesthetically significant for its visually impressive viaduct form, crossing a deep and steep-sided valley that is part of a rich cultural landscape. Within close proximity of the bridge are mullock dumps, tailings, shaft sites and other relics of the deep-lead alluvial mining era. The bridge is the most visually spectacular timber-trestle rail bridge in Western Victoria and is among the most spectacular timber-trestle rail bridges surviving anywhere in Victoria. It is part of the Ballarat-Skipton Rail Trail. Classified by the National Trust :02/10/2000 (http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/67986)Colour photograph of a log bridge known as Nimon's Bridge.ballarat-linton, nimons bridge, nimon's bridge, log bridge, viaduct, timber-trestle rail bridge

Date made December 2011|This bridge is one of the few remaining of the several constructed on the Bairnsdale to Orbost railway line from 1913 to 1915.|Also eight photographs similar views, four taken of the top, four from below the bridgeColour photograph showing different views if the timber railway trestle bridge at Wairewa. Railway line and sleepers have been removed, structure appears to be reasonably intact. Nowa Nowa Victoriabridges, historic site, transport, waterways