When news came the old Jarrahdale bridge was being pulled down, senior volunteers couldn’t pass up the opportunity to reuse the timber from the historic site.
“Our leader, Charles, went to see (the shire) about getting the timbers from the bridge so we could put them to use and we started building tables and chairs,” Jarrahdale vollie George Parry said.
He said the tables and chairs were built along a trail created five years ago by the group’s founders, Charles and Geezer.
About a year since they started the project, the group completed their fifth timber construction north of the Gooralong stream.
Mr Parry said each installation took about four hours.
“We went down there last Tuesday, we dug the holes, we measured it up, cut the wood up and we roll the seating into place,” he said.
“Now, we only have some left over timber to perhaps build a viewing platform somewhere along the banks, in a safe zone where visitors can’t fall or come to grief.”
In addition to the timber builds, Mr Parry said the group also helped to clear invasive black wattle weeds every Tuesday morning at 8.30am.
“While it’s a beautiful tree and it’s flowering, as soon as it gets wet in the winter, they fall over and they’re near 20 to 30 metres tall,” he said.
“We’ve been clearing them all through the park and we’re not nearly finished but as we get to the end, there’s more coming up where we started from.”
Earlier this month, Main Roads completed its Jarrahdale Road bridge over Gooralong Brook project.
“This modern structure, built from durable steel and concrete, is designed to last and better withstand fire risks,” Main Roads said.
The new bridge took more than four years to complete as work started in February 21, according to the shire’s notice page.
The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale said the rehabilitation of Gooralong Brook is next on its agenda, with planting to take place after summer.
