More images of our beautiful bridge
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
(Click on image to enlarge)
Upper Lachlan Shire Collector Creek Bridge Forced Demolition
Jump to pictures of the demolition...A chronological archive of the demolition of the Collector Creek Bridge, a 110 year old historic timber bridge serving as the feature entrance to the town of Collector, NSW - a small hamlet located between Sydney and Canberra. Now bypassed, Collector Creek Bridge was for almost 100 years a vital part of the busy Federal Highway
The Upper Lachlan Shire Council are currently in the process of demolishing the bridge, despite an outcry from the Collector community, including formal requests from both the Collector Community Association and Collector and District Historical Association for Council to cease the sudden demolition
Do you object to the current Upper Lachlan Shire Council's decision to go straight ahead with demolition of the Collector Creek Bridge without any formal community consultation, and replace it with a concrete culvert? You can directly contact each serving councillor to object. They are:
Mayor John Shaw
Deputy Mayor James Wheelwright
Councillor Malcolm Barlow
Councillor Sandra Bill
Councillor Michael Coley
Councillor Paul Culhane
Councillor Brian McCormack
Councillor Michael Mayoh
Councillor Brian Moloney
Lobbying Councillors
The Collector Creek Bridge is of important Australian heritage significance, as it is located at the spot where Governor Macquarie camped and named Lake George in October 1820. The bridge also protects a rare chain-of-ponds ecosystem that is currently under threat from the Councils pending plan for the bridge replacement - a wide, low concrete box culvert
Today there is still a resident living in the Collector district that can own to being the grandson of one of the original bullocks-drivers that in 1900, hauled the immense logs of which the bridge was constructed.
The Upper Lachlan Shire Council currently plan to sell those logs and remaining timber from the bridge to the highest tender
 |
 |
 |  |
Click on the image to enlarge
5 July 2010 | The forced demolition - today's photos of our bridge being ripped apart
There was no further demolishing of the bridge today - bird-song replaced the sound of power tools, and all was peaceful again. The works caravan was also removed today, and only the neatly stacked decking of the bridge remained in the compound. Also pictured above, the current view from the Southern side of the bridge.
2 July 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
The last of the deck is removed and the bridge is left standing with only the long beams and supports of the upper structure remaining.
(Click photos to enlarge)
 |
 |
 |  |
1 July 2010 The forced demolition - today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart
No more feeding the ducks off of the bridge for Collector's children. Today council workmen removed most of what was left of the decking, leaving only the long log supports in place. The creek water and surrounds are a mess, littered with wood, broken welded bolts and rusty metal. Later in the afternoon, the Collector fire brigade was called to a fire in one of the pylons (see smoke pouring off in the last photo). Collector Creek has become a hazardous, poluted zone
In addition...this morning (2 July 2010) a workman was informed of the fire by a resident. He thanked the resident and carried on with his work.
(Click photos to enlarge) |
 |
 |  |
30 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
The workmen, having removed half of the bridge's deck, are now in the process of welding to shear off the bolts to enable the backhoe to rip up the remaining decking
(Click photos to enlarge)
 |
 |
 |  |
29 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
Legalised vandalism? This morning reveals the damage done to the bridge yesterday. Today the demolition continues - despite workmen, tractors and trucks driving on the bridge and then ripping at it, exerting incredible stresses on the structure due to wood being ripped off baring the supports underneath, the bridge still appears to stand strong - perhaps it wasn't as structurally unsound as stated by council? If there is a three ton safety limit, shouldn't this work be too dangerous to have workmen in heavy machinery tearing at the very structure? The last photo is of the huge logs that support the length of the bridge - logs that were apparently sourced locally and brought to the site by bullocks. Of course, trees this old and straight would be incredibly rare nowadays
(Click photos to enlarge)
28 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
Today a large section of top deck was ripped up. It obviously takes lots of intensive welding and tearing with the tractor to get even small sections up - they don't make bridges like they used to, particularly this old beauty
(Click photo to enlarge)
27 June 2010 A frosty morning
There was a heavy frost this morning which turned the bridge to white. Once a familiar winter sight that instilled caution into early morning Canberra commuters, now this heavy frost is simply a last hurrah for our bleeding bridge.
(Click photo to enlarge)
25 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
Our poor bridge is really starting to look ragged. Huge planks have been torn from along the edges, and simply dropped over the side into the creek below, with dangerous long bolts protruding up out of the water, presumably to be left in that dangerous state for the entire weekend, if not longer
(Click photo to enlarge)
24 June 2010
It could be one hundred years agao...see a pic of the Collector Creek bridge disappearing into history in the misty morning here!
(Click image to enlarge)
24 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
They are starting to work the deck up now, but it's hard, slow work from the looks of it. The metal patch-up plates have been lifted off today, too. And yet very early this morning, in the foggy mists the bridge still looked beautiful...
(Click photo to enlarge)
23 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
Bit-by-bit the deck is unfastened, with handrail supports now gone. The bridge is looking "naked"
(Click photo to enlarge)
22 June 2010 The forced demolition - see today's photo of our bridge being ripped apart here!
The (very nice) council workers collecting up all of the guardrail posts. Today I found out that the wood of the bridge is to be put in the compound and will be for sale by tender. Apparently, that doesn't belong to Collector either!
18 June 2010 Collector Creek Bridge Closes - Forever?
End of an Era
The 130 year old timber bridge saw it's last car this morning as the Upper Lachlan Shire Council closed it off with the intent on demolishing the deck on Monday - despite the fact that Collector Village has asked them not to. See pics here...
*NEWSFLASH* - Update 16 June - 12:00 midday
Workmen put gates on site
In what appears to be a psychic move by Council and despite the fact that the bridge issue will be discussed at the Council meeting tomorrow, this morning gates have been dropped off and a worksite marked out on the south side of Collector Creek Bridge View pics here...
Back to Top
Return to Collector Voice home page here
(Click on image to enlarge)
Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows.
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.
- Blue Remembered Hills (1979) - A. E. Housman