Goulburn River Bridge to be restored

Update to my 2017 post.

The old Goulburn River Bridge built by my great grandfather is to be restored. Fantastic news!

htps://ncreview.com.au/2021/03/30/old-goulburn-river-bridge-to-undergo-4-3-million-restoration/

OLD GOULBURN RIVER BRIDGE

This one almost looks like a painting. Old Goulburn River Bridge.

Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2017

Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2017

Badly in need of repair. Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2017

Bridge and river. Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2017

Idyllic surroundings. Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2017

For years I've been aware that my great grandfather William Farquharson and his brother James (along with their crew) built the magnificent bridge at Swan Hill, but it was only earlier this week that I discovered they were prolific bridge builders, having built bridges at Tocumwal, Cobram, Albury and the Goulburn River Bridge at Seymour. For heritage listing of bridge see: http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/6157

I'd visited Seymour on 2 October and took several photographs of the Goulburn river that ran behind the Royal Hotel, one of the first buildings in Seymour and was unaware that I was but a fifteen minute walk from the 125 year old bridge built by the Farquharson Bros in 1892. The bridge was used in WW2 to carry heavy army vehicles and equipment and although a new bridge was built in 1967 the old Goulburn River bridge still continued to serve as the crossing for traffic to Puckapunyal until the building of the Hume highway in 1982. It was closed off to public access due to disrepair, however the Shire of Mitchell and Friends of the Bridge are resigned to bringing the bridge back to her former glory. I was determined to see the bridge even though I new that I wouldn't be able to walk on it or touch it, so when I went to Seymour yesterday I drew upon guidance from the Seymour Information Center and Mitchells Bus line who pointed me in the right direction and warned me, given I would be walking, to keep an eye out for snakes.

I'd had a pleasant journey from Southern Cross Station to Wallan conversing with Dr Roger Hartnett who traveled there twice a week. On arrival I had coffee at the beautiful art deco Railway Club hotel and then I caught Mitchells bus to the Seymour Information Center. After crossing the double and extremely busy Emily Street freeway I decided against venturing along the secluded track and instead walked 1.5 km alongside the main road to the bridge, which was nestled at the end of old Hume Highway Road.

Although the area was cordoned off with a tall cyclone fence I was struck with this old, but beautiful structure that blended into the surrounding landscape and seemed somehow to exude a quiescence even though the cry of Kookaburras and the buzz of insects was audible. There was a flock of Major Mitchell Cockatoos savaging on the ground and beautiful Rosella's in the trees. I found an open area of the fence and took a few photographs of the bridge. I hesitated going onto it because it may have been dangerous. I walked half the way back and then called a taxi because my left ankle was sore. I'm pleased that I've had a sense of my family history in something very solid and material, more so than a photograph.

Photo: Julie Clarke (c) 2017

SEYMOUR + SRHC + Goulburn River

My love affair with trains and train travel (which waned for about thirty years due to a series of unfortunate events, which made me rather phobic of anything to do with trains) began with my first trip on a regional country train from Wangaratta to my Auntie's farm in Yarrawonga in September 1961 when I was ten. My two siblings and myself rode unaccompanied by any adult, on a train pulled by the iconic and historic Spirit of Progress and I recall loving the look of that beautiful Art Deco engine and I still do today. Most of my relatives have lived in regional Victoria, indeed Yarrawonga is near to Cobram where my grandmother grew up. My subsequent rail journeys were from the then Spencer Street station (now Southern Cross) to Benalla, Wangaratta, Shepparton, Albury and Trafalgar during school holiday periods on the Southern Aurora or Spirit of Progress. I loved the separate lounge cars with soft, worn leather seats. I recall the copper-colored wire luggage racks and the large, framed sepia photographs of country towns on the carriage wall; a window to the world. With this in mind and continuing with my regional train trips yesterday I took the 8.25am VLocity train to Seymour and love seeing a different manifestation, indeed a closer look at the Great Dividing Range and Mount Disappointment.

I arrived at Seymour station at 10.03 in time to walk the ten minutes to keep my appointment with a volunteer from the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre who had agreed to give me a tour of their rolling stock. In the first instance I'd like to thank Kevin Wright from SRHC who organised the tour and more importantly John who took me on an informative and interesting journey inside  old carriages with economy and first class seating and a Royal carriage that carried HNR Prince Charles and Lady Diana. I couldn't resist sitting in the chairs that they had sat in way back when. My favorite of all I saw was the bull nose engine that pulled the Spirit of Progress and the beautiful Art Deco interiors of some of the first class carriages, which showed such magnificent workmanship in the stain glass windows and light fittings.

After an hour of seeing all these historic trains I walked towards the main street and looked around the Art Deco Railway Club Hotel. Thanks to the bar woman who made me a complimentary cup of coffee, which I drank in their sunny courtyard. Walking away from the hotel I asked a man if he knew where the historic Royal Hotel was located. He offered to drive me there. So, thanks again Jonothan who was as friendly as everyone I'd met so far. He put local friendliness down to the fact that they were country folk. His family had lived in Seymour for generations and it seems that everyone knows each other. And thanks Jonothan for suggesting that after looking inside the hotel I walk the five minutes to see the Goulburn River. What an absolutely serene and capturing place it was buzzing with wildlife whilst simultaneously emitting a tranquil energy. Nature's beautiful flora was reflected in the still water. I really could have stayed by the edge of the river all day but I knew I had a long walk in front of me back to the station. Exhausted I caught the 1.54pm train, which returned me back to Southern Cross at around 3.15

As usual, all photographs are copyright to Julie Clarke (c) 2017