The
Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, runs through
WinchelseaWinchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia.It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong ....
and the city of
GeelongGeelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. It is a port city with an urban population of 160,991 people, and one of the largest provincial cities in Australia...
, where it is joined by the
Moorabool RiverThe Moorabool River is a river in Victoria, Australia that runs past several small towns and areas such as Meredith, Russells Bridge, Anakie, and Staughton Vale...
, and enters the sea at
Barwon HeadsBarwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated at the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre.-History:...
after passing through
Lake ConnewarreLake Connewarre is a shallow estuarine lake located on the Barwon River, on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong, Victoria. The lake is linked to the sea by the mangrove-fringed channel of thelower Barwon River estuary...
on the
Bellarine PeninsulaThe Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula separates Port Phillip from Bass Strait...
.
The river is crossed by a number of bridges in Geelong. Of particular note is the unusual one lane truss bridge in
NewtownNewtown is an inner residential western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The area known as Chilwell forms part of the suburb of Newtown, and together Newtown and Chilwell were first incorporated as a borough in 1858, becoming part of the City of Greater Geelong in 1993...
, Geelong. The 'Breakwater' in East Geelong was constructed by
Foster FyansFoster Fyans , soldier, penal administrator and public servant, was acting commandant of the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island, the first police magistrate at Geelong, and commissioner of crown lands for the Portland Bay pastoral district in the Port Phillip District of New South...
to supply drinking water.
Water from the river feeds agriculture and industry. The river is a popular recreation spot for Geelong, with parklands such as
Balyang SanctuaryBalyang Sanctuary is a public park in the suburb of Newtown, Geelong. Situated at on the banks of the Barwon River, it is in size and consists of open park lands, lakes, and wetlands. It was opened in 1973.-History:...
along the banks, and sees use by
water skithumb|left|Slalom skierWaterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a motor boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water. The skier is either wearing one or two skis...
ers and rowing regatti such as
Head of the RiverThe Victorian Head of the River regatta is contested between the eleven Associated Public Schools of Victoria .The race is usually the last race of the official APS rowing season and has recently been rowed on Lake Nagambie which is a full buoyed international standard course allowing six boat...
.
Towns
Towns the river flows through include:
- Forrest
Forrest, Victoria is a small rural township located in the Otway Ranges. At the 2006 census, Forrest and the surrounding area had a population of 170.-History:...
- Barwon Downs
- Birregurra
Birregurra is a town in Victoria, Australia approximately 130 km south-west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Birregurra had a population of 688....
- Winchelsea
Winchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia.It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong ....
- Inverleigh
Inverleigh is a small rural township in Victoria, Australia located west from the City of Geelong and from the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Inverleigh had a population of 1253....
- Geelong
Geelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria, Australia and is the largest regional centre in the state. It is a port city with an urban population of 160,991 people, and one of the largest provincial cities in Australia...
- Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2006 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 11,274.-History:...
- Barwon Heads
Barwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated at the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre.-History:...
Tributaries
- Leigh River / Yarrowee River, at Inverleigh
- Moorabool River
The Moorabool River is a river in Victoria, Australia that runs past several small towns and areas such as Meredith, Russells Bridge, Anakie, and Staughton Vale...
, at Fyansford
Highton/Newtown
West Barwon Dam
The West Barwon Dam was constructed near
ForrestForrest, Victoria is a small rural township located in the Otway Ranges. At the 2006 census, Forrest and the surrounding area had a population of 170.-History:...
in 1965 by what is now Barwon Water. The dam is now the major water supply for Geelong.
Buckley's Falls
Buckley's Falls is located between
HightonHighton is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is bordered by the Barrabool Hills and Wandana Heights to the west, the Barwon River to the north and east, the former Kardinia Creek to the south-east, and the Princes Highway and Pigdons Road to the south.-History:Grazier John...
and
FyansfordFyansford is a township on the western edge of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, named after Captain Foster Fyans who came to Geelong as a Police magistrate in October, 1837. It is located at the junction of the Barwon and Moorabool rivers....
. A weir and water race was built above the falls in 1876 to provide power for the Fyansford Paper Mill. The falls were named by
John Helder WedgeJohn Helder Wedge surveyor and explorer, was the second son of Charles Wedge of Shudy Camps, Cambridge, England, from whom he learned the rudiments of his profession. Losses during the post-war depression in agriculture induced Wedge and his brother Edward to migrate to Van Diemen's Land, where...
after escaped convict
William BuckleyWilliam Buckley was an English convict who was transported to Australia, escaped, was given up for dead and lived in an Aboriginal community for many years....
who lived in the area with Aborigines for 32 years from 1803.
The 'Breakwater'
The 'Breakwater' is located in the current Geelong suburb of the same name. Originally built to prevent salt water moving upstream, it now keeps the river level through Geelong constant and is an important crossing point.
Construction on the
weirA weir , also known as a lowhead dam, is a small overflow-type dam commonly used to raise the level of a river or stream. Weirs have traditionally been used to create mill ponds in such places. Water flows over the top of a weir, although some weirs have sluice gates which release water at a level...
started in late 1838 under Captain
Foster FyansFoster Fyans , soldier, penal administrator and public servant, was acting commandant of the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island, the first police magistrate at Geelong, and commissioner of crown lands for the Portland Bay pastoral district in the Port Phillip District of New South...
and was completed by May 1840.
Built by convicts, the weir failed in flood in 1844, not being fully rebuilt until 1849. Little changed to the breakwater until it was rebuilt by the Country Roads Board for modern traffic in the mid 1960s.
Barrage
A second
weirA weir , also known as a lowhead dam, is a small overflow-type dam commonly used to raise the level of a river or stream. Weirs have traditionally been used to create mill ponds in such places. Water flows over the top of a weir, although some weirs have sluice gates which release water at a level...
was built over the Barwon River further downstream. Located near where the river enters
Lake ConnewarreLake Connewarre is a shallow estuarine lake located on the Barwon River, on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong, Victoria. The lake is linked to the sea by the mangrove-fringed channel of thelower Barwon River estuary...
, the barrage again keeps water levels constant upstream for waterskiiers, and prevents saltwater moving upstream.
Geelong Ring Road
The Geelong Ring Road bridge carries four lanes of freeway over the river. It is made up of twin 110 metre long bridges, and was completed in 2009.
Queens Bridge
The one lane Queens Bridge carries Queens Park Road which links Highton and
NewtownNewtown is an inner residential western suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The area known as Chilwell forms part of the suburb of Newtown, and together Newtown and Chilwell were first incorporated as a borough in 1858, becoming part of the City of Greater Geelong in 1993...
.
The bridge was first the site of a
puntThis article concentrates on the history and development of punts and punting in England, for other usages see Norfolk punt and the general disambiguation pages at punt and punter....
, with a wooden cattle crossing not being built until 1861, with those crossing a bridge being charged a
tollA toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
. The bridge collapsed in the 1870 flood, with a new wooden bridge opened in 1872. The toll ended 1877. The bridge remained until wrecked by the 1909 flood, but was rebuilt.
The current one lane steel bridge was built in 1930, a water main and footpath being added to the side in 1963, and the height and deck modified in later years. The bridge is still in use today.
Princes Bridge
The two lane Princes Bridge carries Shannon Avenue between
BelmontBelmont is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The name means "beautiful hill". Belmont is geographically separated from the Geelong central business district by the Barwon River. The suburb is primarily residential, with some light industry along Barwon Heads Road...
and Newtown. It is the third bridge on the site, the previous ones being named after Prince Albert.
A bridge was first proposed for the site in the 1850s as a second Barwon crossing in Geelong. At the time many wanted the bridge to be located at end of Pakington Street instead, but they were defeated.
The wooden 'Prince Albert Bridge' was constructed by the
City of NewtownThe City of Newtown was a Local Government Area located about west of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1858 until 1994.-History:...
in 1861, it was named after Queen Victoria's consort who died the year before. The bridge was originally not tolled, and provided competition for the Barwon Bridge on Moorabool Street, that was tolled by the
South Barwon ShireThe City of South Barwon was a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, which contained some Geelong suburbs south of the Barwon River, and extending to Torquay in the south and Barwon Heads to the east...
. As a result, the shire erected a fence across new bridge to prevent people from using it,with the fence being removed several times by an unknown party until a guard was placed. At the same time, the Newtown and Chilwell Council decided to erect their own toll gate at the new bridge, with the South Barwon council retaliating by erecting their own 'check toll' gate on its side of the river. Soon afterwards Newtown and Chilwell councillors refused to pay the toll, the toll remaining for another year.
The bridge became dilapidated, with a tender accepted in June 1888 for the construction of a replacement. Provided with separated lanes, the new wooden bridge was opened on May 31 1889. This bridge remained until 1959, when extensive repairs were carried out to handle much heavier traffic from the expansion of
HightonHighton is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is bordered by the Barrabool Hills and Wandana Heights to the west, the Barwon River to the north and east, the former Kardinia Creek to the south-east, and the Princes Highway and Pigdons Road to the south.-History:Grazier John...
.
The current steel girder bridge was opened in June 1965 upstream of older bridges. The new bridge was connected to Shannon Avenue by a high level embankment to avoid flooding, which skirted what became
Balyang SanctuaryBalyang Sanctuary is a public park in the suburb of Newtown, Geelong. Situated at on the banks of the Barwon River, it is in size and consists of open park lands, lakes, and wetlands. It was opened in 1973.-History:...
.
McIntyre Bridge
The 192 metre long McIntyre Bridge is located to the east of the James Harrison Bridge, and has a concrete walkway and pipe supported with steel
cable staysA cable-stayed bridge is a bridge that consists of one or more columns , with cables supporting the bridge deck....
. Constructed in 1967 to carry sewage from Geelong to the ocean outfall at
Black RockBreamlea, Victoria, Australia, is a secluded seaside hamlet located 28 km south of Geelong on the south coast of Australia halfway between Barwon Heads and Torquay on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2006 census, Breamlea and the surrounding area had a population of 244.-Geography:Breamlea is...
, the bridge provided relief for the 1916 sewer aqueduct further downstream. The bridge designed by J.L. van der Molen, and was one of the first in Australia to use computer engineering in the design process.
James Harrison Bridge
The four lane James Harrison Bridge carries the
Princes HighwayThe Princes Highway is a segment of Australia's Highway 1 that extends from Sydney to Port Augusta, South Australia via Melbourne and Adelaide, a distance of 2365 km. The highway approximately follows the coastline and thus takes quite an indirect and lengthy route...
though Geelong. Construction started in 1988 and was completed in 1990, removing heavy through traffic from the main Belmont shopping centre. Consisting of twin parallel two lane bridges, The main river span is of concrete
cantileverA cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
design, with a number of smaller concrete box girder spans completing the viaduct to the south. The bridge was named after Geelong engineer and refrigeration pioneer
James HarrisonJames Harrison was an Australian newspaper printer, journalist, politician, and pioneer in the field of mechanical refrigeration.-Early life:...
.
Barwon Bridge
The four lane Barwon Bridge carries Moorabool Street over the river, and is located on the site of the first Barwon crossing.
The first wooden bridge opened early in 1848. Tolled by the South Barwon council, 4 years later it was swept away in a massive flood on May 23 1852. From December that year a government
puntThis article concentrates on the history and development of punts and punting in England, for other usages see Norfolk punt and the general disambiguation pages at punt and punter....
operated at the site. By late 1853 two government punts were used to form a
pontoon bridgeA pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water, supported by barge-or-boat-like pontoons to support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
. It was not until 1859 that a proper iron bridge was opened as a replacement. The bridge was narrow, and was only two lanes wide. The old iron bridge was too narrow to permit the extension of
tramA tram, tramcar, trolley, trolleycar, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a conventional train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets...
s into Belmont, so was dismantled 1924.
The new bridge was designed by Country Roads Board engineer
D V DarwinDonald Victor Darwin, , M.M., M.C.E., M.I.C.E., M.I.E. , CE., F.A.P.I., civil engineer, was born on 11 October 1896 at Redhill, South Australia, son of Henry Darwin, a native-born bank manager, and his wife Jessie Louise Cleta, née Gmeiner...
and opened on August 18, 1926 by
Governor of VictoriaThe Governor of Victoria is the representative in the Australian state of Victoria of Australia's monarch, Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
Lord SommersLieutenant-Colonel Arthur Herbert Tennyson Somers-Cocks, 6th Baron Somers, KCMG, DSO, MC , son of Herbert Haldane Somers-Cocks by Blanche Margaret Standish Clogstoun...
. Of concrete and steel girder construction, it was built by Armstrong Whitworth Pty Ltd, it cost 73900
poundsThe pound was the currency of Australia until 1966. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.- Earlier Australian currencies :The history of currency in Australia could be said to begin in 1800, when Governor King issued a proclamation setting the value of a variety of foreign coins in...
($147800) to build. The 1926 bridge was widened to four lanes in 1966 with the addition to each side of the deck.
Breakwater Bridge
The original Breakwater Bridge was a
fordA ford is a place in a watercourse that is shallow enough to be crossed by wading, on horseback, or in a wheeled vehicle...
running on top of the breakwater.
A timber trestle railway bridge was built over the top in 1876 when the
Geelong railway lineThe Geelong Line is a regional passenger rail service operated by V/Line in Victoria, Australia. It serves passengers between state capital Melbourne and the regional city of Geelong.-History:...
was extended to
WinchelseaWinchelsea is a town in Victoria, Australia.It is in the Surf Coast Shire local government area and located on the Barwon River 115 km south-west of Melbourne and close to Geelong ....
. This bridge was replaced by a concrete and steel girder bridge in the 1960s, but the remains of the wooden supports are still visible today.
The current road bridge was built by the Country Roads Board in the mid 1960s. This bridge has a low clearance underneath the railway viaduct and is close to the water, resulting in a number of stuck trucks and frequent closure due to river flooding.
VicRoadsVicRoads or the Roads Corporation Victoria is a subordinate authority which is the State's road and traffic authority in Victoria, Australia....
have a current proposal to replace the existing road crossing with a new high level bridge further upstream to eliminate these issues.
Sewer Aqueduct
A sewage aqueduct was constructed between 1913 and 1916 to carry sewage from Geelong to an ocean outfall at
Black RockBreamlea, Victoria, Australia, is a secluded seaside hamlet located 28 km south of Geelong on the south coast of Australia halfway between Barwon Heads and Torquay on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2006 census, Breamlea and the surrounding area had a population of 244.-Geography:Breamlea is...
. Of reinforced concrete construction, is a structure of extraordinary design and listed on the Victorian National Estate Register. The designer was an engineer
Edward Giles StoneEdward Giles Stone was an Australian engineer prominent in many innovative, often daringly and spectacular, aspects of early reinforced concrete constructions in Australia. He was also involved in cement manufacture....
who erected many daring structures in reinforced concrete. It has 14
cantileverA cantilever bridge is a bridge built using cantilevers, structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end. For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beams; however, large cantilever bridges designed to handle road or rail traffic use trusses built from...
spans covering more than 760 metres. The viaduct was decommissioned in 1993, with the land and river underneath fenced off from public access due to falling debris, the deterioration due to the loss of calcium from its concrete. The replacement for the sewer was a pump-boosted gravity system.
Barwon Heads Bridge
The present twin lane wooden bridge between
Barwon HeadsBarwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated at the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre.-History:...
and
Ocean GroveOcean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. At the 2006 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 11,274.-History:...
was built in 1927. Before this time a ferry ran by Tom Abernathy operated across the mount of the Barwon. The bridge was used in filming the ABC television series
SeaChangeSeaChange was a popular Australian television show that ran for 39 episodes from 1998 to 2001 on the ABC. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howard, Tom Long and Kerry Armstrong...
.
In July 2006, the
Government of VictoriaThe Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
shelved plans to replace the heritage-listed bridge with a new one, with plans put forward for an upgraded to be carried out instead.