Boredom Busters - Photography - Bridges - Genoa

Genoa, a tiny township 492 km east of Melbourne, the last township on the Princes Highway before New South Wales - or the first town in Victoria. On the Genoa River, it is 62 km south from Eden, 123 km north-east from Orbost and 23 km from Mallacoota.

Genoa is little more than an historic hotel, a general store, an interesting historic bridge, (which sadly was severely damaged in the 2020 bushfires),) a rest area and a pleasant walk around a small number of local houses. The village is surrounded by fertile dairy floodplains amoungst the wild and beautiful East Gippsland coast. It is the junction of the road to Mallacoota.

View from Highway Bridge

The Genoa River Bridge was historically and architecturally significant at State level. It was one of only five timber truss bridges to survive in Victoria, and of these, the Genoa Bridge had the maximum number of truss spans. Let out to tender in 1925 and completed in 1927, it was the only surviving example of a multi-span timber-truss bridge built by the Country Roads Board.

Many Country Roads Board bridges built in the 1920s with 80 feet span trusses of a standard design and based on the American Howe type. While two other examples of this historic Country Roads Board timber-truss pattern survive, these only possess a single timber-truss span and simple beam approach spans, and are much less visually impressive.

Bridge Deck

Set high on concrete piers, the three timber trusses presented an imposing view in an attractive river setting. The avenue of mature poplars on the former approach road enhanced this view and the sense of the bridge as an impressive 'Gateway to Victoria'.

Since its closure to road traffic the bridge has played an important social role as a convenient walkway linking township amenities.

Link with the town and Caravan Park

It was designed and built as an important link on the newly named Princes Highway, when that route provided the only trafficable motor connection between Melbourne and Sydney.

In both its design and its construction, it was associated with some of the most significant personalities in Victoria (and Australian) road and bridge history. Its designers were T H Upton and D V Darwin. Upton was a pioneer expert in Australian concrete road-and-bridge technology, and became the foundation head of the New South Wales Main Roads Board. Darwin was a very eminent Victorian bridge engineer, who became Chairman of Victoria's Country Roads Board.

Structure of bridge

The bridge was open in 1928 ... initially used by horse drawn and motor vehicles the development of heavier and faster cars and trucks meant that the design and materials of this bridge could not withstand the greater structural stresses.

In 1989 the bridge was decommissioned after a new bridge was constructed 130 m downstream. The Genoa Town Committee achieved State Significance in 1995 and after much lobbying saved the bridge from demolition and persevered to achieve its preservation and restoration in 1997.

Part of bridge showing lighting units

Sadly the bridge sustained serious damage during the 2020 Bushfires, which ran all the way to the township of Mallacoota some 25 kms away. The future of the site is uncertain at this time.

The bridge was a magnificent example of bridge building in its time and the damage sustained is nothing short of tragic. Only photographs remain telling the story of its existence.

Sources: Heritage Council Victoria
Photos Copyright John Munns