Moorabool River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Moorabool River |
|
|---|---|
The Moorabool River, between Steiglitz and Meredith
|
|
| Country | Australia |
| State | Victoria |
| City | Geelong |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Moorabool Reservoir, near Ballarat Australia 37°30′33″S 144°5′0″E / 37.50917°S 144.08333°E |
| River mouth | confluence with Barwon River at Fyansford Australia 38°8′39″S 144°18′54″E / 38.14417°S 144.31500°E |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries |
|
The Moorabool River is a river in Victoria, Australia. It flows past several small towns and areas. These include Meredith, Anakie, and Staughton Vale. This area is located north-west of Geelong. The Moorabool River eventually joins with the Barwon River. This meeting point is at a place called Fyansford.
Contents
Historic Bridges of the Moorabool River
The Moorabool River is famous for its many old and important bridges. Many of these bridges were built a long time ago. They are often made from a strong blue-grey stone called bluestone.
Batesford Bridge: A Crossing Through Time
The area known as Batesford was first a simple ford. A ford is a shallow place in a river where people and animals can walk across.
The very first bridge at Batesford was made of wood. It was built in 1846 by local councils. This bridge had a tollgate, meaning you had to pay to cross it. Sadly, it collapsed in 1847. A new wooden bridge was built in 1848. This one was damaged by a flood in 1852 but was later fixed.
A strong bluestone bridge was built in 1859. This old bluestone bridge is still there today! It is now used as a service road. The main road, called the Midland Highway, got a new concrete bridge in 1972. This newer bridge was built in a slightly different spot.
Fyansford Bridge: An Engineering Marvel
Like Batesford, Fyansford also started with a simple river crossing.
The first wooden bridge at Fyansford was built in 1854. It was also a toll bridge until 1877. By 1898, this wooden bridge was in poor condition. It had limits on how much weight it could carry.
A new and very special bridge was built nearby in 1900. It was designed by John Monash and J. T. N. Anderson. This bridge had three arches and was made of reinforced concrete. At the time, it was the largest bridge of its kind in the world! It used a special building method called the Monier system.
In 1970, another new bridge was built. This one was placed where the old wooden bridge used to be. It was needed for the heavier traffic on the Hamilton Highway. The amazing 1900 concrete bridge was kept. Today, it is used by people walking across the river.
Geelong Ring Road Bridge: A Modern Connection
Work on the Geelong Ring Road bridge began in late 2006. This is a very important bridge for modern traffic. It cost about $15.5 million to build.
The bridge carries four lanes of traffic. It is the biggest bridge on the Geelong Ring Road. It has 70 strong beams and 12 piers (support columns). The last part of the bridge was put in place on March 6, 2008. This large bridge has since been named the Lewis Bandt Bridge.
Moorabool Viaduct: A Railway Landmark
The Moorabool Viaduct is a very long structure. It is about 440-metre (1,440 ft) long. It was built from bluestone and iron. This viaduct opened in 1862. Its purpose was to carry the Geelong-Ballarat railway over the river valley.
This historic railway bridge is still used today! It was made even stronger in 1918. Extra steel piers were added to it. This work was designed by an engineer named Frederick Esling.
