It was about time that we went on another drive. Unfortunately our adventures lately have been few and far between. D hadn't even had the opportunity to show what his new Bridgestones could do!
Quite a while back my father told D of a drive that he had taken in his V-Dub many many moons ago that went from Bilpin to Mt Irvine. Clearly this road at the time was in good condition as my father was and still is very car proud and treats them with great respect. Today, being an older and wiser man, he won't even drive his beloved Holden on dirt. So surely this meant that we were in for a very pleasant drive. We would start at the Bilpin end off Bell's Line of Road.
Well all I can say is that my father would not have even passed the open gate and, as we saw, even a Mitsubishi AWD reversed out. As she passed by she said "not with my tyres". She certainly was not wrong!
Mt Irvine Road or also known as Bowen Creek's Road was opened in 1935 to provide a through road from
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| The Opening of the Bridge in 1935 |
A few thoughts were going through our heads during the first part of the drive. Firstly there was a sign at the start of the road that indicated it was closed. Secondly the lady in the AWD was uncertain if the bridge across Bowen Creek was still standing. However we assumed (some say you should never assume) that surely if the bridge was closed they would have closed the gate.
In parts the road was very rough and washed out. The black dragon was moving at walking pace. In many sections our son and I had to guide D. The road was also extremely narrow in parts and at other times extremely steep. It was definitely not for the faint hearted and definitely high clearance and low range was required. There were no places to turn around and go back if you felt that you didn't want to go on.
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| The road as it once was |
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| The state of the road in places today |
Upon arriving at the bridge our first thoughts were of relief because the bridge was in tact. At the time a trio of bike riders had arrived on the other side. The bridge had also been closed with orange mesh blocking each end. This had been taken down so access to the bridge was possible (clearly by other 4WDers or bike riders). When I heard one of the bike riders say to D "you won't get the car across" I must say I nearly had a heart attack. I am an avid McLeod's Daughters fan and had just finished watching the episode where Claire went over the edge of a cliff in her 4WD and died!!!!!!!!!
We watched the bike riders proceed across safely and then it was our turn. D had assured me that the bridge would not give out. Besides, he said, the Gall Boys had gone across much worse bridges on the Telegraph Track and they were pulling a caravan!!!!! I must say I was still sh***ing myself but, of course, made it across safely having not taken one breath through the ordeal. D then proceeded to tell me that the conversation also revealed that the Council was about to demolish the bridge due to its danger to the public!!!!! He also told me of the missing pieces in the bridge. Sometimes maybe things are best left unsaid, or in our case, delayed in revealing!
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| As the bridge once looked like! |
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| The bridge today |
Does this mean that we were the last 4WD to cross the Bowen's Creek bridge?
The road beyond the bridge to Mt Irvine was a piece of cake. We were told that the road was in a good state so that the Council could bring in the relevant machinery to demolish the bridge.
All in all the drive was enjoyable even though I was nervous at times. If this road is going to come to an end, we are very happy that we experienced this adventure. What is it about our family. We did the Bridle Track a few years ago and soon after a landslide occurred so the road is no longer a through road.
On a final note, the moral of the story is that you should always give something a go in a safe and sensible manner. Besides you need a bit of hard core once in a while to see what your beloved 4WD is actually capable of!
Until again.....
