Tarrying at Tarranyurk

Prompted to share a couple of bridges in flood.
The previous photos of the old Tarranyurk Bridge on the "Bridges in floods" post were taken in March 2008 and April 2011.

The Wimmera River swirling into the Old Tarranyurk Bridge (Dimboola Courier)

These are from the Dimboola Courier and were taken on Tuesday 20th September 2016, as the flood peak moves towards Jeparit.
Hang in there Tarranyurk! 

The partially collapsed deck of the bridge, the current bridge is to the left (Dimboola Courier)

Began this post on 22nd September, but now updated, so it was possible to add a few more flooded old bridges taken on 24th.

Firstly - Antwerp, the flood peak had moved on from around Antwerp, but evidence of the higher level was apparent with debris still piled up against the old bridge deck, which as shown is only just above the water level. 

<< The new & old Antwerp bridges

Below the old bridge with its missing span, from the previous flood in 2011.

Both Tarranyurk bridges

Arriving at Tarranyurk, the flow of the river was evident, with little whirlpools and frothy spume whipped up around the piles.

  The bridge deck at Tarranyurk  >>


Moving on to Jeparit - the peak had again been and gone, onto Lake Hindmarsh. 
The waters had only reached part-way up the cross-members of the trestles.

Above & below - Jeparit

Tarrying at Tarranyurk

Prompted to share a couple of bridges in flood. 
The previous photos of the old Tarranyurk Bridge on the "Bridges in floods" post were taken in March 2008 and April 2011.

The Wimmera River swirling into the Old Tarranyurk Bridge (Dimboola Courier)

These photos are from the Dimboola Courier and were taken on Tuesday 20th September 2016, as the flood peak moves towards Jeparit.
Hang in there Tarranyurk! 

The partially collapsed deck of the bridge, the current bridge is to the left (Dimboola Courier)

The flow of time

As the rains come tumbling down, people's thoughts turn to the river.
This piece is from the Dimboola Courier: 

The first natural flow in the Wimmera River since 2012 flowed past Antwerp earlier this week and had progressed northwards to a point beyond the Tarranyurk bridge by Friday evening 12th August.

Wimmera Catchment Management Authority said the natural flow peaked at 468 megalitres a day at Lochiel.
Prior to this event the river had dried up to the point where it was just a series of stagnant waterholes linked by stretches of dry riverbed with only the weir pools at Dimboola and Jeparit holding any significant quantities of water in the lower reaches of the river.

The old Antwerp Weir in April 2016 (Dimboola Courier)

The weir, August 2016 (Dimboola Courier)

The only man made structure on the river between the Antwerp and Tarranyurk road bridges is the old Antwerp weir (pictured above) which was constructed of timber and stone in 1903 to create a more permanent body of water for the local community. The weir pool became the venue for the annual Antwerp rowing regattas in the following years.
It is unclear when it was no longer required and fell into disrepair, but a significant amount of the structure still remains.
Proposals were put forward in the early years of last century to construct a similar structure near Tarranyurk to provide a water supply for that area but this never built.
This series of photographs were taken in the vicinity of the Antwerp weir both this week and back in April and they highlight this structure in the dry and with the water flowing. 

The weir in 1903 (SLV)

The historical photograph, taken in 1903, compares with the one below, taken recently from a similar location to show the changes over the last century. The most obvious being the regrowth of trees around the weir itself.

The Antwerp weir in August 2016 (Dimboola Courier)

The water arrived at Jeparit a day later, and will now flow into Lake Hindmarsh. The last inflow into the lake was as a result of the 2011 floods.

The Jeparit Weir, August 2016 (Dimboola Courier)

The last time that the lake itself flooded was in August 1956. At Jeparit, the Wimmera River rose and forced Lake Hindmarsh to burst its bank near Four Mile, when the inflow overwhelmed the ability of Outlet Creek to cope with the huge volume, and was further  compounded by the wind and waves forcing the water towards the south. Hundreds of acres of wheat crops were affected, several roads were cut, two families were forced from their homes and 30 others were threatened.

The old Jeparit road bridge in 1956, from the north bank (L. Hounsel)

The historic photograph shows the water up to the corbels of the old road bridge over the Wimmera River.The photo below shows the struts and pilings visible below the corbels.

The old Jeparit road bridge in November 2007, from the south bank

Railways - Yaapeet line

The Dimboola yards in 1964 (from "C.R.S.V.)

The Yaapeet line is a grain-only branch line from the west side of Dimboola, it was converted from board to standard gauge at the same time as the Melbourne to Adelaide line. The Yaapeet line re-opened (66kms to Rainbow) for grain only transportation in February 2012, though trains bypass the disconnected Arkona, Tarranyurk, Ellam and Pullut sidings. This is following the January 2011 floods which severely damaged the line near Jeparit.

Washaway between Jeparit and Ellam (W.V.R.G.)

Arkona now just a silo site. It opened in 1905 as Katyil, and was re-named Arkona in 1912.

Arkona's platform mound opposite the silos

Antwerp a temporary garage for grain hoppers.

Tarranyurk

The site of Tarranyurk's railway buildings

Jeparit the extension to Jeparit opened in June 1894. The government approved the Jeparit to Albacutya section in September 1898. Jeparit was also the junction of the Yanac branch line. It had a large goods yard, but now the buildings have been removed and just the silos and platform mound survived.

A couple of sleepers mark the Jeparit platform

Ellam just a silos site.
Pullut just a silos site.

Goods train leaving Rainbow for Dimboola, 1966 (from "Patterns of steam")

Rainbow In November 1899 the railway to Albacutya terminated at Croajabrim (renamed Rainbow in 1900). The station had a turntable and large yard. A diesel railcar passenger service ceased in January 1954. Now only murals show what the Rainbow station looked like, the station building and platform have been removed. Rainbow is now the terminus for the grain transportation.

Rainbow goods yard in 1920 (from Museum Victoria collection)

The now deserted Rainbow goods yard (V.R.S. photo)

End of the line - Yaapeet (V.R.S. photo)

Albacutya
Yaapeet the intention in 1913 was to terminate the line at Nypo, but the terminus was further on at Turkey Bottom (it was renamed Yaapeet in June 1914). The line loops to the siding now, with the silos and the mound where the platform was.



Further information and photographs at

 Victorian Railway Stations and Shane McCarthy's "Patterns of steam"and John Sargent's "Country railway stations Victoria" series

Bridges in floods

With news reports on the Dimboola Weir this week, it harks back to the "Still going strong" post in January, when I mentioned a number of wooden bridges. Since then the flood waters have come and gone, and now the roads are open again, We've had our first chance to see the bridges on the lower reaches of the Wimmera River.

Firstly at Jeparit - as seen in the photograph above (2008) and below (2011) not much has changed, despite the township of Jeparit being surrounded by floodwater and the sandbags still on the levee bank. Maybe the corbels on the extreme left have fallen away more, but really it looks remarkably similar.

The Jeparit Bridge was built in 1892 with hewn timber corbels supported by big timber struts. It has seven main trestle and girder spans using strut & crown girder construction.




It was evident from this approach shot ^ of the Tarranyurk Bridge that this one had suffered more than the Jeparit one. It looks as if a chunk has been removed from the upstream side of the roadway. This is a bypassed road bridge west of Tarranyurk on the Tullyvea Road.

Two views of the Tarranyurk Bridge, taken from on the new bridge. In the 2008 photograph, the bowing and buckling of the deck can be seen, and now with the missing trestle the bending is more pronounced.





From under the deck, you can see the reason why the bridge fell in.

The March 2008 photograph shows that the right-hand support had already rotted through and was misaligned, and the one next to it was also extremely worn at the straight beam level.

The 2011 photo was taken from a different spot due to the higher water level and is a span further away. You can see the light coming through from the missing deck area.






At Antwerp the bypassed timber road-bridge on the Antwerp-Woorak Road, was already missing a roadway span, as evident in the 2008 picture.

This probably helped lead to the partial collapse of that section as the trestles have given way and now lean into the river, and the roadway bitumen has separated and dropped several feet from where it met the approach ramp.





A large amount of debris was piled up against the supports on both the new bridge on the upstream side, and the old bridge. The tree trunks still lodged in the old bridge attest to that, and to the height of the river level at the time.

Still going strong

Some other timber bridges around the region that, while disused are still standing.
Jeparit Bridge
A by-passed timber road bridge over the Wimmera River on the outskirts of Jeparit. Built in 1892 of hewn timber corbels supported by big timber struts, it has 7 main trestle and girder spans using an uncommon strut & crown girder construction.

Fulham Bridge


The timber trestle rail bridge on the disused Hamilton to Natimuk East line, over the Glenelg River near Kanagulk. The bridge was built in 1917, is 189m long and has 31 spans. It is next to the homestead of the historic Fulham pastoral station owned by colonial squatters the Armytage family.

Antwerp Bridge
A by-passed timber road bridge over the Wimmera River, west of the Antwerp township on the Antwerp-Woorak Road.
Quantong Bridge

A rail bridge over the Wimmera River at Quantong, on the closed Carpolac rail-line. Built in 1887 the main bridge is 133m long, and the approach bridge in 55m long (the beams of the approach bridge were removed and re-used on the refurbished Winters Flat Bridge on the Maldon tourist rail-line).

Tarranyurk Bridge
A by-passed timber road bridge over the Wimmera River west of Tarranyurk on the road to Tullyvea. According to the Parish Map, the bridge was erected about 1905.

Technical information from "Wooden wonders"