Bass Coast Shire votes to demolish historic railway bridge after $2.5 million repair quote
"In the interest of community safety, financial sustainability and environmental impacts," said one councillor on the decision.
Jacob Wallace
July 18, 2025
Bass Coast Council voted to demolish the deteriorating Kilcunda Viaduct Bridge at a council meeting this week after an expert deemed it the "worst decayed bridge" he had ever inspected.
The Kilcunda Viaduct Bridge, located north of the Bass Highway, hasn't carried trains since the rail service closed in 1978, but a recent, council-commissioned inspection revealed catastrophic decay.
Councillor Jan Thomson, moving the motion, said the expert "has consulted on many wooden bridges around the world, and the only recommendation that he could make was to demolish".
Underneath the Kilkunder Viaduct Bridge.
Thomson firstly clarified that the council was not voting on demolishing the iconic heritage listed Bourne Creek Trestle Bridge on the ocean side of the Bass Coast Highway.
The dilapidated Kilcunda Viaduct Bridge is north of the Bass Coast Highway, next to the Nyora-Wonthaggi Rail Trail and is not heritage listed.
The location of the dilapidated Kilcunda Viaduct Bridge.
The council commissioned expert advice on treatment options, which presented the council with three choices: demolish the bridge for $32,000, retain it with surrounding fencing to stop it being used for $27,000, or restore/reconstruct $2.5 million.
The recommendation of the report was to demolish the structure.
“I’m very sad this bridge has not been maintained by previous councils or councillors,” said Thomson. “It has come to this very difficult decision.
“In the interest of community safety, financial sustainability and environmental impacts, I reluctantly recommend option one.”
Councillor Tim O'Brien concurred, saying it was far too late to undertake repairs now and something should’ve been done 20 years ago.
Councillor Jon Temby nostalgically recalled his memories of the bridge: "I’m showing my age, I remember going through that bridge as a little kid in the back of the car, and dad saying: ‘We've got to be careful here if a truck comes up the other way, there’s trouble’."
Temby said there might be the option in future budgets to convert the site into public open space, potentially reusing bridge materials for a memorial feature.
The motion was passed with an 8-1 vote, with only Deputy Mayor Councillor Brett Tessari opposing the demolition.
