There is a new postcard view from the suspension bridge at Euroa’s Rockies on Seven Creeks.
The old footbridge – steeped in history and mystery – was removed on September 6; replaced by two-way all-abilities access over the Sevens via the suspension bridge since August 10, 2022.
In a full-morning operation, the narrow footbridge’s chain handrail was unlooped; fixtures dug-out, grinded, heated and pounded free; and three walking beams, totalling 6.5 tonne, craned away.
(Above) A crane dislodges beam one from the creekbank and lifts it from the Rockies.
(Above) Separating beam two from the main beam to crane from the midstream rocks.
(Above) Beam three took the longest to remove from the bridge’s single solid footing (township-side creekbank).
After zig-zagging the boulder-filled creek for 32 years, local sentimentality for the old bridge will be honoured in a re-purposed structure at Euroa Arboretum.
Myths and nostalgia swirled like the current below – and floods across – the ‘rock-hopping’ footbridge during three decades at the Rockies.
Among the myths: “It was made in one weekend after some Apexians came up with the idea over a couple of beers on the Friday night.”
And another: “The main beam of the Rockies Bridge was an old crane gantry lying in the goods yard at the train station.”
Or: “The old Rockies Bridge was built from leftover materials from the West Gate Bridge, rusting away at the [former] Euroa Shire depot”; plus, many more versions of Rockies folklore.
The generational storytelling by those who traversed the bridge, naturally led to dissipated truth and plenty of fallacy.
Few people knew the modest walkway was made with third-hand beams – once part of the first bridge to Phillip Island and, for some years, the single longest span of any construction in Victoria.
(Left) The first bridge from mainland Victoria to Phillip Island, 1940-1969. Image: Courtesy of Phillip Island & San Remo Advertiser, and Phillip Island & District Historical Society. (Right) The old Rockies Footbridge (1990-2022) was built with beams from the dismantled Phillip Island Bridge.
The Rockies Footbridge was built in 1990 by Euroa Apex, completing the long-awaited Apex Bicentennial Walking Track. It was designed by Apexian and engineer Steve McKernan with three RSJs (rolled steel joists) from the timber-decked suspension bridge which linked San Remo (mainland) and Newhaven (Phillip Island) from 1940 to 1969.
The Euroa footbridge’s most distinctive RSJ, featuring early century pop rivets and fixed to the township-side creekbank, was likely a vertical support on the Phillip Island Bridge, and the smaller pair sister beams.
Like the Rockies Footbridge, the first Phillip Island Bridge was a drawn-out project, largely built from second-hand materials; its main cables from Sydney’s North Shore Bridge and cable hangers supporting the wooden decking from the Tramways.
With a 5 tonne load limit, tray trucks transported goods, stock – and circus elephants – across the 538m (1765ft) span, while bus passengers walked and reboarded on the other side.
(Above) A circus elephant crosses the old Phillip Island Bridge, decades before salvaged beams were used for Euroa Apex’s Footbridge. Image: Courtesy of Phillip Island & San Remo Advertiser, and Phillip Island & District Historical Society.
When it was replaced by a concrete arch bridge, there were early rumours in the coastal community the old bridge was re-assembled in Adelaide or Japan. However, salvageable materials were sold separately, with Euroa Shire Council buying some RSJs in the mid-80s for its Bridge Replacement Program.
Graeme (Mick) Williams, a 34-year grader driver for Euroa Shire (later serving on the new Strathbogie Shire Council), said: “Shire engineer Charlie Kemp went to San Remo to look at the RSJs and we transported a dozen to 15 of them to Euroa for our new bridges.
“Most of the [Phillip Island Bridge] RSJs were used as vertical supports for the decking in our Shire bridges. We needed to increase some load limits from 1-2 tonne to 15-20 tonne so bridges could carry fire trucks and stock trucks.”
The offcuts were stored at the Euroa Shire depot until 1990 when Shire engineer Lyle Jeffrey organised the donation of three RSJs to Apex for the Rockies Footbridge.
Ford McKernan Engineering trimmed the beams to length and tapered the ends for safety; they were craned into the Rockies and the steel recesses concreted as a walkway.
The footbridge linked the 3km Apex Bicentennial Walking Track at its southern turning point across Seven Creeks at the Rockies. The track (both sides of the creek from Burtons Bridge, Seven Creeks Park) was started in 1988 and officially opened at the footbridge on Sunday July 22, 1990. It was extended some years later to the northern end (The Butter Factory Bridge), creating a 6.9km circuit through the red gum riverine plane.
Euroa Gazette May 17, 1988: (Left) The walking track along the creek will not only enhance the area but also provide a quiet retreat for pedestrians. (Right) Apexians Noel Grant (left) and Ian Doxey hard at work on Saturday morning along the Seven Creeks constructing a walking track on both sides of the creek.
Free expertise and equipment from Apexians Neil Tubb (Tubb and Cox earthmovers) and Steve McKernan (Ford McKernan Engineering) anchored the project, assisted by about 40 club members.
Steve engineered the machine to lay track sand (pictured), and the design of the bridge; while Neil led the project’s earthworks, supplied machinery (and staff), sand, and attended every working bee.
“It took nearly three years of working bees to lay the Bicentennial track to the Rockies,” Neil said in 2022.
From every weekend to long delays of “weather pending”, the Apexians cleared and laid the track and built culverts through waterways before building the bridge.
“Steve manufactured the track layer specifically for the walking track by Euroa Apex,” Neil said. “It was a hopper with blade behind; loaded by a front-end loader with pre-material of granitic sand and [Violet Town Quarry] crushed rock and towed by a 4WD ute.”
Euroa Gazette July 17, 1990: (Left) Putting the finishing touches of paint to the bridge are Ian Doxey and his son Andrew. (Right) Apexians at a recent working bee take a few minutes break on the rocks downstream of the bridge.
A wet winter delayed works: Apexians and their children painted the bridge a month after it was installed – a week before the official opening.
(Left) The old Rockies Footbridge withstood many floods before its removal in September 2022. (Right) Rising water at the new bridge during its first flood in October 2022. Image: Willem Bouma, Euroa Community Noticeboard Facebook page.
A heavy deluge days before the opening ceremony, saw the bridge pass the test of its first flood.
“The footbridge probably had 20 or 30 floods over it,” Neil said.
He said the downstream-side handrail − pipe uprights with loops threaded by a chain − was designed to withstand strong currents.
“The handrail poles bent in flood, so debris flowed over the bridge instead of building up and damaging the bridge structure, and the poles were re-straightened after the flood.”
With a young family, Steve McKernan’s brother Roger − also an engineer in the family business, and a new Apexian – was not involved in the bridge installation.
“Steve sort of drove this project from work while I was busy doing other projects,” Roger said, recalling his late brother’s account of “holes drilled into the rocks and using an old car axle to hold a beam in place”.
Neil, who was on site with Steve, adds: “The car axle was drilled into the granite rock [on the township-side creekbank] as an anchoring point for the bridge.”
Non-visible to workers who cut the fixture (two iron bars) from the main beam 32 years later, the bars with footing remain embedded under concrete (pictured) to avoid excavation and damaging the creekbank.
“It (main beam) didn’t want to budge,” Struktkis Steel boilermaker and lead fabricator of the new suspension bridge, Adam Uhrhane, said.
“The first two sections came out fairly easily, but the last section’s footing was really solid; it took a lot longer than anticipated.”
“It was not intended that the [Apex] track would take three years to complete,” club president David Kelly said at the opening (Euroa Gazette, July 31, 1990).
He noted the support from Euroa Timber Yard and the Euroa Shire.
“Individual Apex members are not usually singled out for their work, but two members do need special mention,” Dr Kelly said, referencing Steve McKernan and Neil Tubb.
“If we’d been laying the sand by hand it would have taken to the year 2000 to finish the project.”
Euroa Gazette, July 31, 1990: (Above) With the heavy winter rains, the stability of the new Apex bridge has already been tested. Standing in front of the bridge are Michael Tehan, left, Dave Kelly, Neil Tubb and Steve McKernan. (Below) The honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the walk track and bridge was given to a member who really took the project to heart, Neil Tubb.
Former Euroa Bicentennial Committee chairman Michael Tehan thanked Apex on behalf of the community for finishing the town’s last official Bicentennial Community Project.
Neil cut the ribbon to officially open the walking track and bridge, telling the crowd: “This project was [Apexian and Shire employee] Noel Grant’s idea.
“It’s taken longer than expected and it’s environmentally sensitive.
“Everyone in town should be proud of the bridge.”
Reflecting on the iconic walking track in 2022, Dr Kelly said it was “built on a small amount of money, and a large amount of labour”.
The track was one of Euroa Shire’s six Bicentennial Community Projects which shared $5000 of federal and Victorian government funding in 1988, with Apex contributing another $6000.
“Our funds went primarily to the purchase of raw materials; but [professional] labour, equipment and other materials were donated,” Dr Kelly said.
“The Rockies Bridge was a simple construction with what was available at the time: we didn’t have the money for an elaborate structure that would meet today’s OH&S standards.”
Neil said: “The Apex Walking Track is a community legacy. People of all ages walk the track and it’s used for Euroa Park Run on Saturday mornings.”
The new and old bridges at the Rockies, were community-led projects; linking the legacy of the Apex walking track.
“We’re glad the old footbridge went to Euroa Arboretum,” the former Apexians agreed.
First to cross the new bridge on August 10, 2022, were Strathbogie Shire Mayor Laura Binks and Frank Pearce (pictured) from Friends of the Sevens.
“The suspension bridge has totally transformed the access of this fabulous walking track built by Apex along the Seven Creeks,” Cr Binks said.
“With so much nostalgia attached to the old bridge, we’re delighted a new generation of community volunteers can repurpose the materials at Euroa Arboretum.”
The community and dignitaries will be invited to the official opening of the new Rockies Bridge on a date to be confirmed.