The Skeleton Bridge of Boyup Brook 

Awesome channel, just found it. I’m local to the area and very interested in all the history!

I started at Westrail during the 80s and the amount of lines and infrastructure that has disappeared since then is astounding. One wonders how much of the money the railways "saved" has been spent many times over on Road maintenence due to the increased trucks. The damage to roads and ongoing repairs are especially noticable out in the areas of the wheatbelt that have had rail lines closed and increased use of trucks to move grain. Its great that you are documenting this stuff online before it all disapears.

My wife and I enjoy wandering around the old parts of Nannup, so this is very interesting for us

Nice report. I lived in Boyup Brook 1961-67. First year high school (year 8) was 1962. We called that bridge 'skellos' and occasionally walked out from town (or maybe rode our bikes). Part of just mucking around as young teenagers along the river, trapping rabbits, swimming in the Blackwood and wandering around the flax mill, which was still in operation. There were big floods in 1963 and 1964 that went over the road bridges and cut off the town for a short while. I imagine the water went over the top of skellos, too.

I grew up and still live in the area. As a kid i always wanted them to re open the old lines as tourist lines. Now as an adult, I still dream, but sadly don't think its ever going to happen simply on the cost alone.

been to the skeleton bridge, as my friend quite literally owns the land right next to it! awesome place and great vid dude

Man this is the channel Ive been wanting for years!

Great work, Brendan. Hope to see more of the same.

Having made use of them in Europe I think that 'rails to trails' cross country cycle routes would provide a nice tourism benefits for some of these areas. They encourage the locals to set up extensive B&B networks to service the cyclists. The Katanning to Kojonup to Boyup Brook - Donnybrook - Boyanup or to Capel would be great countryside to cycle through. Problem is where the rail corridors have been absorbed back into Farmers paddocks, you would need to deviate at times. And then there is the amount of bridges that are now unserviceable.

There's a small flax museum in Boyup Brook, interesting enough to visit, at the Old Flax Mill. And a larger heritage/pioneer museum which includes one of only two Masonic Lodges in Australia open to the public. So BB is worth a visit.

These videos are great for my little birdo brain - so many calls to identify!

I lived in a Boyup Brook for a while…. Great to see someone young doing the big historical exploration and giving us their take on it all. Just subscribed so see you soon.

That mill was a flax mill that made ww2 british webbing for soldiers 37 Pattern webbing and also parachutes 🪂 it’s still being used by the Boyup Brook Mens Shed I used to live there in Boyup Brook 🔥

Battye library will have photos of bridges, theres more out bush but you will need a permit from parks and wildlife to access the areas due to dieback,theres a beautiful curved bridge between Donnelly river manjimup that i used to visit brilliant engineering by the old fellas hopefully it hasnt burnt down !

As a boy I always wished for them to reopen these lines

We had a property on the Blackwood between Boyup and Bridgetown and I can say that water would be bloody cold, you're braver man than me 😆😆

How awesome... Thank you 🙏.. Shared 👍🏻🫶👍🏻

Another excellent video, thanks.

Hi Brendan inspired by your video ! took a trip out to the bridge this weekend ( photos on google maps) Great work with all your research Keep the videos and discoveries coming !

That's great camera work camera man 😊and it is great too see that footage you filmed 📽️ in Western Australia 🦘 the sun is out- so nice weather that I see on the filming that day near the black wood river ah the black wood river all good here peace 🕊️🍶🫲😊👉🌏🪃💕

Random fact, I actually own some tooling that was used in the construction of this bridge. Purchased them from a old boy at a garage sale. They were his dad's who worked on the construction crew.

Hey mate, loving your content.

crazy that we had all this infrastructure way back when but not now

In late 2013, Brookfield Rail became concerned about members of the public using disused infrastructure and the potential for liability if anyone was injured and as a result the embarked on a program of securing these items to stop casual intentional use.

I freaking love the realness of filming as you walk through the water 😂

Great video , did not know that was there , cheers for the upload

I know it's 7 months after the fact but congratulations on your 10 year anniversary!

Just realised where I left my boogie board, thanks for that

I'm old enough to remember the grade crossing over Sou' Western Hwy. That line was probably only gravel ballasted. Which is why there was a 40km/h speed limit (and a bunch of minor derailments).

Great vid. The rail part in Donnybrook you walked has been turned into part of a walk trail by the lions club.

Hi Brendan, at the 5:30 min mark you mention drivers amenities room. Not sure at Boyup Brook station status but I was on believe it would have been known as the Barracks. But maybe that’s only at stations with over night stops. Cheers, I appreciate your odyssey.

Looks like a nice walk. If your interested, Cohunu Park in Byford still has the old byford railway spir, it was used for ww2 storage. Some track and the two buildings are still standing, they are both made of espectes so be mindful of it.

Excellent video!

Enjoyed much. There’s a news report you can find in Trove … Blackwood Times 29/6/1945 p 6 which details floods of earlier years :)

Awesome Video, great no bullshit approach to talking about the local area, I am actually semi motivated to suggest to my partner that we drive down tomorrow to check it out :)

Congratz on 10 years mate! Shout out to Anika for letting you do this sort of thing on your holiday. :)

She looks like she's having so much fun on her anniversary

Really enjoyed this video and i will now try to make it out here myself. I will say as someone who has swiftwater rescue training I'd advise against going in any flowing river like that. Often they can be flowing much faster and stronger than you might expect and if you loose your footings you could be in trouble very quickly. I have worked on the Avon descent many times and even fit, confident swimmers can get themselves into situations where they need a rescue.

We went and had a look at the bridge last August and used our scooters to get out there. Quite a long walk otherwise and we aren't that fit LOL. Lovely old bridge but the next day we went out to camp at Jayes Bridge and a big old tree stump 'jumped out' in front of the poor old Coaster. That sucked quite a bit.

Great video. There are the remains of a trestle bridge just outside of Boddington WA, you might be interested to see. You can just about access it from both sides of the river.

Brendan, Have you seen the trestle bridge at Coorinja Wines? I think it is called Ringa Bridge. They are located about 5km before Toodyay on the Perth road.

I think I saw your kia pulled over on SW Hwy when you were filming south of donnybrook. I live in Greenbushes. The boyanup rail museum is pretty interesting too! manji line used to run through pemberton and all the way to the south coast, I can't remember where exactly but I followed it down to a couple Kms from the coast on google maps once I think. Also boyup brook i believe at one point was the largest flax producer in the southern Hemisphere. Talison lithium is looking at once again using the bunbury to Greenbushes section of the line which will be interesting.

It was a complete spin out the other day when I was watching this video and I started sneezing and while I was I heard you say bless you, I was whoa talk about timing

The curve is to reinforce the bridge/ trestle against the flow of the river.

Awsome...

Happy 10years to you both. I hope there is a ring on that finger?

If you go to the now caravan park..it is the old flak mill lots of history there

Cool vid. Yeah a bunch of lines were closed because they were considered not viable. The grades not good, too many tight curves and the need to maintain them and even re-lay them as the rail was too light to get loco's and rolling stock of any decent size onto them. It still shits me though.

Talking about the curve in the bridge.

Very interesting video, but have you considered getting a small drone like a DJI Mini 2 SE which is is easy to carry and can give you a whole new perspective on your locations? In this case it could have given an aerial view of the whole bridge and surrounds. I have one myself and love using it to video railways. You can get the complete kit in a carry case.

Pumphreys would be another one for you to do a video on.

You. Ought to head up to the midwest there is plenty of old rail, bridges, covered dams for steam engines

There was a book...Rebeca of Donnybrook farm !

Great video. But lets face it - in your younger days you would have jumped the fence instead of wading :)

I also heard that boyagon rock is particularly haunted by Aboriginal spirits like yowies

That bridge is still holding 1000s of kg of skeepers and track. 80kg of people isn't going to make it fall. Just watch where you step.

I was disappointed to learn that this bridge was not built by skeletons, nor made of skeletons, nor made for skeletons.

Not sure why they contoured the bridge. Perhaps to conform to the landscape over a broader span. It was harder in shaping the land back then, and while the lay of the land did dictate how towns, roads, etc were laid out, the English also had another notion, one of political or colonial philosophy. That was of "conquering'' the land. Example- while building a new town with streets running, say, south-west to north-east and cross streets north-west to south-east to fit the earth's contours was the most sensible, sometimes a notion of order and dominion overruled. Despite the extra earth-moving, English planners insisted the streets run strictly north-south and east-west. This was the days of empire and satisfied those imperial beliefs that they'd somehow subdued the land and formally delivered orderly civilisation. This carried over into Aussie colonial times. IDK for how long or how often.

Lol by the plants I thought you were in norCal

All about gradients.

Oi 82 is only 42 years not 50. Making me feel old :D

💜 that bridge 💜🌈🌏

So many abandioned train lines in wa, its pretty sad

I heard a lady burnt do death in a forest fire in the tracks near pingelly

I'll let Tony Maddox know

It gets worst for the aboriginals, instead of only being hunters and gatherers for just 10 years, now now basically did not progress their culture for 65k years.