By Callum Ludwig
The Dee Slip bridge on the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail near the Dee Road Picnic Ground remains closed to pedestrians, causing inconvenience for locals and visitors trying to walk the trail to Warburton.
The historic bridge, first built in 1947 according to the Victorian Heritage Database, has sustained serious weather damage and has had a tree fall upon it, causing it to be closed for close to two years.
Millgrove resident Thomas Osburg said he lives nearby to the bridge and has done so for decades.
“I’ve been walking along there since the 1970s and before that had a nearby holiday house in the last 60s and even though they built a pipeline that was supposed to close the aqueduct down, it was used for another 20 years. It’s a real staple of the area,” he said.
“Nobody knew what was going to happen to it when Parks Victoria took it over in the 90s and it’s really depressing now to look at how it has deteriorated. It didn’t even need vandals.”
The bridge was originally built following the collapse of the aqueduct, as the force of the flow created a large hole in the side of the embankment beneath the aqueduct. As a result, two separate trestle bridges now support the maintenance track and the aqueduct at this point.
Mr Osburg said he went up to the Dee Road Picnic Ground in January and was almost stranded when he couldn’t use the bridge.
“I thought that I would just be able to walk home but after seeing the bridge was closed, had to go down some stupid, dangerous steps and back up the picnic ground even though I live only a kilometre and a half away from it,” he said.
“It’s not a safe thing to walk up and down the slippery steps, and the bridge and trail is a major tourist attraction, people want to walk along there and ride along there.”
The aqueduct trail has also previously been used for the Melbourne edition of the Oxfam Trailwalkers event and is included in Warburton Trail Fest programs.
Acting District Manager at Parks Victoria Craig Albiston said in the interest of visitor safety, Parks Victoria closed vehicle access to Dee Rd Trestle Bridge following an independent safety assessment in 2017.
“We extended a full closure to pedestrians after a fallen tree caused significant structural damage in 2021,” he said.
“Constructing a new section of trail that will bypass the bridge is the preferred solution, with planning and approvals underway. We anticipate starting on the groundwork in 2023.”
Any works associated with Dee Rd Trestle Bridge will require environmental, cultural and historic heritage assessments and approvals.
Visitors to the Yarra Ranges National Park can detour to the western section of the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail from Dee Rd Picnic Ground (Millgrove) and access the eastern section from Yuonga Rd Picnic Ground (Warburton).
