| Historical notes: | THE WALLERAWANG-GWABEGAR BRANCH AND GULGONG RAILWAY BRIDGE
The Wallerawang-Gwabegar rail branch forms part of the Main Western Line, which runs north from Lithgow to the Gwabegar locality. The line was progressively opened between 1882 and 1923, with Gulgong Railway Station (the closest station to the Gulgong railway bridge) opening in 1909. Gulgong Railway Station and Yard Group is also listed on the State Heritage Register (SHR 01158).
A timber truss bridge, known as the Gulgong railway bridge over Wialdra Creek, formed part of the Wallerawang-Gwabegar Railway Line. It was constructed in 1909. The opening of the bridge was described in the local newspaper as an "engineering difficulty At the outset, many obstacles were encountered while sinking the cylinders through the drift sand to a very hard and uneven basalt at the bottom of the creek: but although progress was slow, these were finally surmounted, the result being a first-class and permanent structure" (The Farmer and Settler, 31 Dec 1909).
The bridge was opened for rail traffic, including passenger services, by the end of 1910. The original timber truss bridge was constructed featuring three 12.2m span timber trusses of the 12.2m deck type, and it was reported that only three bridges of this type were constructed in NSW. The bridge carried a single track 1.44m gauge railway on open deck with transoms, featuring timber girders. The three 12.2m spans are timber trusses of the Hower type, with timber compression diagonals, vertical tension rods, and six bays, with piers on timber and concrete bases (Australian Heritage Database, 2009).
In the late 20th century there was a decline in regional rail travel for passengers. Simultaneously, freight trains - now heavier and carrying heavier loads - required upgrades to rail infrastructure to increase load bearing capacity. In c.1986, the original timber truss bridge was demolished and was replaced with the extant concrete bridge, completed in 1987. The extant bridge is a 1987 concrete railway bridge constructed with four 14.6m steel plate web-girders on concrete piers.
The line was closed from 2 March 1992 until September 2000, and was reopened after substantial repairs to much of the railway line. Currently, there is no regular passenger service to Gulgong Railway Station or beyond. Throughout the 1980s, heritage services were operated by the State Rail Authority and the Lachlan Valley Railway, particularly for the Bicentennial (State Rail Authority 1987, Australian Rail Maps 2023). Today passenger services terminate at Mudgee and Gulgong is serviced by a coach. Large sections of the line remain closed today, except for use by freight services.
HERITAGE LISTINGS AND REGISTERS
In 1987 the Heritage Act was amended to require that all State agencies prepared their own Heritage and Conservation Registers, known as Section 170 Registers. The Gulgong railway bridge over Wialdra Creek was placed on the State Rail Section 170 Heritage and Conservation Register and this record was provided to the former Heritage Office. In 1988 the Australian Heritage Commission determined not to list the Wialdra Creek Bridge on the Register of the National Estate, being advised that the bridge had been demolished (Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. Special, 18 April 1989).
The State Rail Authority items were considered by the Heritage Council on 18 March 1999, however this item was not individually considered by the Heritage Council at the time. At the foundation of the State Heritage Register in 1999, the Gulgong railway bridge over Wialdra Creek was gazetted onto the State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 as part of a bulk gazettal by the Minister for Heritage at the time, alongside several other State Rail Authority heritage items. |