More than a quarter of a century’s worth of volunteer work to restore the timber trestle bridges on the old Cudgewa-Wodonga railway line was gone in a flash when the Walwa-Mt Lawson bushfire laid waste to the structures last month.
A strong wind change pushed the out-of-control bushfire towards the bridges near Shelley, Koetong and the Tallangatta Valley on January 8th and within 24 hours, 15 of the 16 bridges had been destroyed. The damage has also caused the closure of the Upper Murray section of the High Country Rail Trail for an indefinite period.
“The bridges were beautiful to look at and an amazing feature of an incredible trail,” Rail Trails Australia vice-president, Steven Kaye, told ABC Radio.
Tourism North East data from 2022 shows that the region attracts more than 160,000 cycling visitors each year, bringing an estimated $131 million into the local economy.
The downhill stretch from Shelley to Old Tallangatta is one of the most popular routes attracting more than 5,000 riders in the 2024-25 financial year.
The bridges were originally constructed from 1914 onwards as part of the Wodonga-Cudgewa rail line which played an important role in transporting material for construction of the Snowy Hydro Scheme.
While passenger services ended in 1961 and regular goods services ceased in May 1978, the line wasn’t officially de-commissioned and closed until March 1, 1981.
A dedicated group of volunteers then took responsibility for the maintenance and repair of the bridges so they could be used by cyclists, horse riders and walkers.
“It’s been a 25-year labour of love to get the trail connected, and that’s basically gone up in smoke,” Mr Kaye said.
Parklands Albury Wodonga executive officer, Ant Packer, has been heavily involved with the project and said the bridges were more than just structures.
“They tell the story about our nation-building,” Ms Packer said.
“They took decades to build with hand tools, horses, carts and locally milled wood.
“Some of them were three storeys high, 21 metres tall and 96 metres long,” she said.
Whether some or all of the bridges can be rebuilt is a moot point until a proper assessment of the cost and availability of skilled artisans can be undertaken.
“The immediate focus in the Upper Murray is making the trail safe,” Ms Packer said.
“We’ve got about 35 kilometres of fences to replace, a lot of them go through the middle of properties.
“We don’t expect to have the trail re-opened until the middle of the year at the earliest.”
When 12 historic trestle bridges were destroyed at Myra Canyon, British Columbia in 2003, the rebuild project set the provincial and federal governments back $CAD18.5 million ($AUD20 million).
Mr Richmond said it was important for all stakeholders including volunteers, to be involved in conversations around the next steps.
Ms Packer said she was devastated by the destruction but was trying to shift her perspective to the future.
“This is a chance for people to share memories and hear how the community would like to proceed.”
Seek out all available support
Regional Victorians impacted by the January 2026 fires in areas like Corryong are encouraged to us the Emergency Recovery Support Program to ensure they have access to all assistance available.
The program helps people impacted by the January bushfires by offering advice on what services are available and connecting people with programs and services that can help.
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing is urging impacted residents across Towong Shire to access the program by contacting the Emergency Recovery Hotline on 1800 560 760.
Recovery support officers can assist impacted people with things like finding local services, insurance and legal questions, money problems, health and wellbeing and registering for government services.
This article appeared in Corryong Courier, 19 February 2026.
