The Bairnsdale to Orbost Railway has been recognised for its significance to the history and inhabitants of Gippsland with an Engineering Heritage Marker in the year of its centenary.
The marker was laid at Stony Creek Bridge, near Nowa Nowa, by Engineers Australia and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) during a recent ceremony.
Engineers Australia’s Victorian Deputy President Guy Hodgkinson FIEAust CPEng EngExec NER said the railway was an example of how the work of engineers fundamentally shapes the environment in which we live.
“Following construction – from 1912 to 1916 – the railway provided a link between isolated communities, that later became the social and economic lifeline of the region,” said Mr Hodgkinson.
“Victorian Railways engineer, Maurice E Kernot provided the technical expertise that oversaw construction of the 100km route, across some of the most inhospitable land in the state.
“The nature of the terrain meant that many of the original designs for the railway had to be modified to meet the actual conditions.
“And of course, the outbreak of World War I in Europe meant that material required for the project suddenly became that much harder to source, never-mind the added expense.
“But true to the engineer’s resolve for problem solving, Kernot and his men succeeded in building a railway that went on to serve the people of Gippsland for 71 years before it was closed in 1987.”
Heritage Network East Gippsland Inc’s Helen Martin remarked on the significance of awarding the railway an Engineering Heritage Marker in 2016 as it marks the centenary of the opening of the railway.
Ms Martin also said the recent ceremony date of 21 August was significant as the last train left Orbost Railway Station 29 years ago to the day in 1987, when the government closed down the line.
The railway was an extension of the Melbourne to Morwell (opened in 1877) and Morwell to Bairnsdale (opened in 1888) line that was built to connect East Gippsland’s remote communities as the population began to move inland from the 1850s.
Bairnsdale Railway Station is now the end of the line and the only station in existence today.
Many of the bridges and tracks have been preserved as part of the East Gippsland Rail Trail.
Image: (L-R) Gus Gustus, DELWP; Gail Penfold, DELWP; Guy Hodgkinson, Engineers Australia; and Helen Martin, Heritage Network East Gippsland revealing the Engineering Heritage Interpretation Panel with Stony Creek Bridge in the background (in front of Stony Creek Bridge), courtesy of Owen Peake.