By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
CORIO MP Richard Marles wants a historic sewer aqueduct preserved through improved public access.
Mr Marles told federal parliament the “remarkable” ovoid sewer aqueduct over the Barwon River near Breakwater should be celebrated in its centenary year.
“This is a structure (that) was commissioned by the Geelong Waterworks and Sewerage Trust. It is 756 metres long, consisting of a series of trusses which cantilever from 14 concrete corniced piers,” he said.
“It was built between 1913 and 1915, which means that this year is the centenary. It is a piece of construction on an absolutely grand scale.”
Mr Marles said the design, inspired by Scotland’s Firth of Forth Bridge, was an early and innovative use of reinforced concrete on a “grand scale”.
Melbourne University associate professor of architecture Dr Miles Lewis had called the adqueduct internationally significant and one of the most extraordinary engineering structures in Australia, Mr Marles said.
“It is hardly viewed by anybody. You can see it as you as a drive on the Barwon Heads Rd down to Barwon Heads.
“In 1992 the aqueduct was decommissioned and since then it has fallen into a state of disrepair, which is tragic in its own way.”
Mr Marles said the structure, on land managed by Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, would cost “millions of dollars to restore”.
“It is a sewer pipe, which is obviously no longer used, and there is a walking path on top of it. But there is now the enduring question of what to do with this incredible structure.
“A start, in my view, in this the centenary of the structure would be to make a walking track along the stretch of land on the northern side of the Barwon River.
“Interpretive signs could be placed along that trail so that people get a sense of what it is.
“The more people who see it, the greater the chance that we can re-imagine a fantastic future for it.”
A Corangamite Catchment Management Authority spokesperson said a committee was investigating options for the site.
“The steering committee developed a strategy in 2011 outlining potential future additions to public parkland along the river corridor. The strategy identified the ovoid sewer aqueduct, presently owned and managed by Barwon Water, as an important link.
“The Victorian heritage-listed structure is complemented by significant biodiversity habitat on the surrounding floodplain.
“The steering committee is investigating options for the site, noting that public safety is paramount.“
