Liam McNally
A historic local landmark, just off the Old Western Highway on the border of Melton and Moorabool, has fallen into disrepair, according to a new community group that has formed with the intent of fixing it.
The Old Djerriwarrh Bridge was a favourite picnic spot for Lita Kerr Tirkkonen’s family when her children were young. She remembers an area that was “ so beautiful” – eating at stone picnic tables, and trekking around the healthy stream and exploring the wildlife.
The sandstone bridge with its distinctive single-arch was built in the 1850s and was an important link between Melbourne and Ballarat in the Gold Rush era.
Now though, Ms Tirkkonen said she feels “quite sad” about what the heritage-listed spot has become – a “forgotten site” that’s overgrown, and littered with waste and even abandoned cars.
“The bridge and site started being neglected when the new freeway was built,” she said.
“The old highway was no longer a thoroughfare for travellers to travel on from Melbourne to Ballarat.
“People are now using it to dump their hard waste and rubbish. The surrounding site of the bridge has old cars, washing machines, and other big items, amongst household rubbish.”
Ms Tirkkonen decided to take matters into her own hands by creating the Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge community group.
The group is active on Facebook, and has begun advocating for the clean-up of the area by contacting around half a dozen government and stakeholder agencies.
In Ms Tirkkonen’s view, the first things required to restore the area include cleaning up rubbish, installing cameras to prevent further dumping, gated but functional car parks, roadside signage stating the history of the bridge and surroundings and ongoing preservation.
“There is so much history relating to the historical bridge and surrounding site,” she said.
“If we can’t have our own government, and other stakeholders take pride and care of the historical bridge and site, community possibly see it as ‘why should we?’”
Melbourne Water is responsible for the stream beneath the bridge, and it has received a number of requests by the local community to help with illegal dumping, which it acknowledges is an issue there.
Melbourne Water Waterway and Catchment Services North West head Victoria Penko said the organisation works across communities to keep 25,000km of Melbourne’s rivers, creeks and catchments healthy – including Djerriwarrh Creek.
“While we’re not the land manager at the Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge site, we’re keen to work with community groups and relevant authorities to determine what they can do to safely assist in cleaning up the waterway,“ he said.
The bridge and surrounding area is owned by the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP), which said crews conduct regular inspections and remove any immediate safety hazards. In a statement the DTP said illegal dumping remains an ongoing challenge and urged everyone to dispose of their rubbish in a responsible manner. Illegal rubbish dumping can be reported to the EPA on 1300 372 842.
The Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge Community group is seeking new members and can be found on Facebook.
Details: tinyurl.com/mtjpdkak
