A new page has been added to the history of the Bibbulmun Track with the opening of a new suspension bridge to replace the iconic Long Gully Bridge, destroyed in the 2015 Boddington bushfire.
The new state-of-the-art bridge, built 12 kilometres downstream of the old bridge site in Lane Poole Reserve, has been named Bilya Djena Bidi, Aboriginal for a ‘(swinging) river foot bridge’.
The locally designed and built bridge spans 82 metres and includes two 12-metre towers that hold the bridge above the 100-year predicted flood level, enabling Bibbulmun Track walkers to safely cross the Murray River.
The $850,000 project was funded by the State Government, Bibbulmun Track Foundation, and Alcoa Australia, with support from engineering company BG&E Pty Ltd who developed the concept design free of charge.
The Bibbulmun Track is one of the world’s greatest long distance walk trails, stretching nearly 1,000 kilometres from Kalamunda, on the outskirts of Perth, to Albany.