Bridging a divide in Scotchmans Lead

EIGHTEEN months after its completion, the two-lane Franklin Bridge between Napoleons and Buninyong got its pandemic-delayed official opening last week.

The upgraded 40-metre structure runs over the Yarrowee River on Scotchmans Lead Road is on the Golden Plains Shire and City of Ballarat boundary and stands in place of what was a one-lane bridge dating back to the early-20th century.

Until 2020, emergency service trucks were unable to travel over the Franklin Bridge, but the new wider, stronger structure can now accommodate vehicles up to 150 tonnes.

Eighty-seven-year-old Gilbert Coad grew up in Scotchmans Lead, and still owns the family property beside the Franklin Bridge. From his perspective, the upgrade has been “nicely done.”

“I think the bridge is beautiful, I really do,” he said. “When the old one-lane bridge was here, I’d be out in the paddock mowing the grass and hear brakes squealing.

“I always thought there would be a terrible accident, so the new bridge does mean a lot.”

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said the project worth just over $2.85 million was completed with about $1.425 million from the Federal Government, $912,000 from the City, and $512,000 from the Golden Plains Shire.

“The old bridge was more than 100 years old and nearing the end of its life,” he said.

“This new bridge will last for at least the next 100 years and will improve road safety for motorists while also enabling heavy vehicles… to take the fastest route to their destination.”

Golden Plains Shire mayor Cr Gavin Gamble said having a seamless connection between Ballarat and the Shire’s communities is key.

“Many Golden Plains residents regularly travel from our northern towns into Ballarat and the new Franklin Bridge makes that journey safer for our residents,” he said.

“For our local fire brigades, with heavier, bigger trucks it allows for faster more direct access in an emergency; and for our local school children, the new bridge provides a shorter, safer ride home.”

Victoria Senator, Sarah Henderson, celebrated what she said was an important funding commitment.

“Together, we’ve worked with the community through the Bridges Renewal Program to make sure you have that infrastructure that you deserve,” she said.

Scotchmans Lead was a booming precinct in 1858, with its first wooden bridge over the Yarrowee connecting goldmining communities, however it was swept away by a flood in 1860.

Two years later its flimsy replacement contributed to a incident when a man and horse with a delivery cart toppled into the river and drowned.

Historian Dr Anne Beggs-Sunter said the inquest was held metres up the road at the pub on the hill.

“The Lady Franklin Hotel was just here, opposite the very successful Franklin Gold Mine,” she said.

“Lady Franklin was the wife of the Governor of Van Diemen’s Land, Sir John Franklin. He was a great polar explorer who went off to find the Northwest Passage in the Arctic and got lost.

“Lady Franklin spent about 12 years trying to find out what had happened to her husband. She was a famous lady in the 1850s for her devotion to her husband… so that’s why we got the Lady Franklin Hotel, the Franklin Mine, and Franklin Bridge.

“I think it’s really important that we hold onto that name. It is a fascinating area.”