Barwon Heads Bridge: History or Heritage?

Abstract

The Barwon Heads Bridge, built in 1927 near the mouth of the Barwon River in Victoria, was the largest timber bridge built for the Country Roads Board. During its life it was altered, widened and strengthened to meet changing traffic requirements. In 1999 it was placed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Ten years later it was dismantled and replaced with a steel and concrete “replica”. This paper sets out the history of the original bridge and examines the question of the heritage value of the new bridge.