Bellbird Creek Bridge - Princes Highway, near Eden.

Current status*:	Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register; but not currently included on Schedule 5 of the Bega Valley Shire Council’s Local Environment Plan.
Name of item:	Bellbird Creek Bridge.
Former name/s:	RTA Bridge Number 6000
Item type:	Built
Item group/collection:	Transport - Land
Item category:	Road Bridge
Street number:
Street name:	Princes Highway (4.63 km north of Eden)
Suburb/town:	Eden
Local Government Area:	Bega Valley Shire
Property description:	(Lat: 37° 01' 30"S Long: 149° 54' 25"E)
Owner category:	State Government
Current use:	Bridge
Former use/s:	Bridge

* Refers to the site's inclusion in Schedule 5 of the Local Environment Plan.

Significance:

Statement of significance: This bridge is a minor component of the historically significant route of the Princes Highway. It is a simple functional structure constructed, as were many others, in the 1930s by the Department of Main Roads (DMR) as part of the State Highways improvement programme aimed at bringing the State's roads up to a standard suited to motor vehicle traffic, a programme which as a whole was a significant activity in the State's cultural history. The bridge is of a highly unusual design and has some social significance as its construction was energetically sought by the community.

Level of significance:

Local

Description:

Designer:	Main Roads Board
Builder:	Messrs Denhlom and Davison
Physical description:	The bridge spans a stream at the bottom of a steep valley which remains heavily wooded, with bellbirds still a dominant sound. The structure is a single span reinforced concrete bridge consisting of a slab which chamfers twice to join with the vertical abutment walls, effectively creating an arch. The roadway fill runs across the structure to a depth of approximately 1 m, with stone pitching to retain it. The bridge has been widened in similar form to the existing, giving increased width on the upstream side. This widening is not topped by stone pitching. Guardrail runs in the fill across both sides of the bridge, and the close growth makes its existence almost unnoticeable.
Physical condition:	In 2003 the structure was described as being in in good condition “…although there is some abutment fill on the downstream side which appears to have moved towards the waterway, but without constricting it. Approximately 30 m downstream of the existing bridge there are stone mounds which may have formed part of the approaches to the previous wooden culvert.”
Construction date/s:	1934
Modifications and dates:	Widened in 1979.
Further comments:

 

History:

Historical notes: A road route linking the settlements on the south coast of New South Wales between Wollongong and Eden was well established by the mid-nineteenth century, appearing on an 1858 Post Office Department map of postal roads. (DMR, 1976, p. 37) The approximate route of the current Princes Highway was declared the 'Main South Coast Road' through the Local Government Extension Act of 1906. An 'opening' and naming of the Princes Highway took place at Bulli in 1920. (DMR 1976, pp. 64 and map opposite) Between 1932 and 1939 the Princes Highway between Sydney and Batemans Bay (174 miles) had been completely reconstructed and surfaced in bituminous macadam. Work on the section between Batemans Bay and the Victorian border, including around Moruya, was well underway by 1939, but not yet complete. Several extensive deviations had been constructed, adding 35 miles of completely new road and many new concrete bridges (as many as 22 concrete bridges between Nowra and Batemans Bay). (DMR 1976, p. 160-1) It was in this context that the bridge over Bellbird Creek was constructed in 1934. This bridge was one of more than 1,000 bridges built by the DMR between 1925 and 1940, a period in which their engineers were adapting existing standards of bridge design to meet the requirements of improved motor vehicle performance - they were generally wider than previously with an improved load capacity. The principal types of bridges constructed in this period were: concrete slab; reinforced concrete beam; steel truss on concrete piers; and timber beam bridges. (DMR, 1976, pp.169) Concrete was favoured in many instances because it was perceived to be a low maintenance material. In July 1933 a move was made by the Eden Advancement Committee for the renewal of the culvert of Bellbird Creek. The culvert had been swept away by a flood sometime previously and it was suggested that action be taken to remedy the situation, as the crossing was proving very troublesome to the mail and other cars, and if much rain fell they would be isolated. A Main Roads Board official had stated the previous year that it was the worst hill between Sydney and the border, with the exception of Bulli Pass. In September 1933 the bridge remained unrepaired and many tourists complained about the delay in commencing construction of a bridge at Bellbird Creek. (Bega Valley Historical Society, RTA File 1/32.1202) Searches of the Eden Magnet by the Bega Valley Historical Society indicate a high level of community concern about the crossing between July 1933 and July 1934, and much relief following the completion of this small bridge and others that had been damaged during the same period of flooding. In December 1933 tenders were invited for the construction of a reinforced concrete bridge and paved earthwork approaches to Bellbird Creek near Eden and in January 1934 it was reported that Messrs Denholm and Davison had secured the contract and were arriving during the week to commence work. In June 1934 final touches were being given to Bellbird Creek Bridge and approaches by Messrs Denholm and Davison. In July 1934 it was reported that the replacement of the old flood-destroyed wooden culvert at Bellbird Creek near Eden, with a modern reinforced concrete structure, had removed one bugbear to travellers on the road. (Bega Valley Historical Society)

 Themes:

Australian theme:	New South Wales theme:	Local theme:
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Commerce-Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Transport-Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements

Application criteria:

Historical significance SHR criteria (a)	The limited historical significance of the bridge over Bellbird Creek is related to its role as a minor component of the historically significant route of the Princes Highway. It is a product of the general upgrading of the road system that took place in NSW in the mid-twentieth century when more than 1,000 bridges were upgraded to cope with increased vehicular traffic on NSW roads.
Aesthetic significance SHR criteria (c)	Modest, although the multiple chamfers are suggestive of an arch.
Social  significance SHR criteria (d)	Correspondence to the Eden Magnet for the year July 1933 to July 1934, indicates a high level of community concern about the crossing and much relief following the completion of this small bridge and others that had been damaged during the same period of flooding.
Rarity SHR criteria (f)	No exact equivalent in New South Wales. Guthries Creek, Charlottes Pass (RTA Bridge No. 6206) is similar but with only one chamfer per side.
Representativeness SHR criteria (g)	Representative of modest crossing of the period.
Integrity:	Moderate, widened in like style to original.

Heritage Listings:

Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

 Information sources / bibliography :

RTA General File 1/32.1202 Eden Magnet The Roadmakers, Department of Main Roads, 1976

Author and date:

All information taken from NSW State Government listing, database No. 4309550

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritageapp/ViewHeritageItemDetails.aspx?ID=4309550