A Tasmanian wildlife park that faced devastating floods in October 2022 across the northern part of the state is now in the process of constructing two bridges, thanks to the support of TasRail.
Wings Wildlife Park suffered significant damage during the flooding, with its previous bridge over Walloa Creek washed away by the raging waters.
TasRail has stepped in by donating two decommissioned 60-foot train wagon bases, which had been in use since the 1960s.
The wagons are long enough to accommodate three shipping containers placed end-to-end and will work as ‘perfect’ replacement bridges over the creek.
TasRail CEO Steven Dietrich said the weather event also disrupted the rail network, cutting off the busy Western Line near Kimberley for 11 days.
He said relocating the wagons from Bell Bay to the wildlife park, over 20km from the nearest rail line, presented a significant logistical challenge.
“We were just coming through the aftermath of the floods ourselves, so we were all too aware of the impact of the event,” he said.
“Logistically, because of the location of the park, the location of the wagons, and the importance of getting the timing right for a safe pickup and delivery, the bases arrived at the site late last month.”
“We are just reaching the end of an extensive program of redundant asset donations to the State’s tourist and heritage rail sector.”
The park currently has a temporary footbridge on loan, but the owner is looking forward to having vehicle access restored while saving the park tens of thousands of dollars that would have been required to replace the bridge.
The new bridge will be installed after the completion of the animal hospital at the park, which is expected to be finished just after Christmas.
“It is our pleasure that we were also able to play a small part in assisting such an iconic Northwest Tasmanian business to build a stronger future,” Dietrich said.
