Some good news. Crossing Kirwans Bridge is an item on the bucket list for many riders. The Bridge is open again to walk across (accompanied by your bike).
The Bridge has been closed since the floods in 2022. It is still closed to car traffic. The Bridge may close again intermittently for construction work to repair the bridge to reopen for car traffic.
I won’t update the main gpx files for the routes impacted just yet, because the Bridge may close again.
However, I have added a short GPX file called Kirwans Nagambie Connection to the RWGPS Collections. It is 11 km long.
The map to the right shows this route variation. The ERI route is grey, and Kirwans Nagambie Connection is brown.
This GPX file also includes the new Lakeside path on the south side of Nagambie.
If Kirwans Bridge is open, I suggest riders use this connecting option to go through Nagambie. It will be more scenic and have less car traffic.
See links below to those collections in RWGPS.
- Earth Rivers and Ironbark collection in RWGPS
- ERI – Wet Alternative Routes collection in RWGPS
- Yellowbelly Track collection in RWGPS
To check the status of Kirwans Bridge at the time of your ride, contact Strathbogie Council’s Nagambie Visitor Information Centre.
Reminder: What is significant about Kirwans Bridge?
Kirwans Bridge (310m) is the longest continually operating timber bridge in Victoria. It is unusual because it has a large bend in the middle of the bridge. The single lane bridge also has two passing bays along its length.
Kirwans Bridge was opened in 1890 to cross the Nagambie Lakes. The Lakes were created when Goulburn Weir was built on the Goulburn River in 1891. This weir was the first major structure to divert and hold water for irrigation purposes in Australia.
The timber planks on Kirwans Bridge often have gaps wider than a bike tyre. Also some planks sit several centimetres higher or lower than their neighbours. For your safety, please dismount and walk your bike across. This lets you enjoy the views rather than staring down anxiously at the deck, and it’s genuinely safer. Even when walking my bike across, I’ve had a wide gravel tyre drop into a gap between planks.
Nix-Tracks 
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