Farmer concerned for dairy operations after bridge collapse near Simpson

The bridge collapse on Wednesday means his herd of about 550 cattle is separated on both sides of the bridge at Chapple Vale, south of Simpson.

"I was almost across the bridge and it just collapsed with a big bang. I was going forward and I ended up going backwards on a heck of a slope and I'm looking up to the sky," Mr Ferrari said.

"It completely collapsed. The pylons that give way, and the crossheads, they absolutely disintegrated. They were that rotten it just went to mulch."

Heavy equipment was used to get the truck off the bridge, which had no load limit, and while they thought at first it only caused minor damage, it ended up warping the tipping body and bent all the axles. "It must have been a fair thud," he said.

Mr Ferrari said it was lucky that the recent floodwaters in the river had receded. "Once in every 10 or 15 years it virtually goes over the bridge," he said.

Mr Ferrari said he normally took cattle over the bridge for milking, and was hoping the bridge could be repaired before he started milking again in August. But there are no guarantees work will be done by then.

"We're just going to have to milk what we can. We've got property on both sides and the cattle on both sides," he said.

"We're going to have to supplement feed or something like that."

He said he might be able to to take the cows stuck on the other side of the bridge kilometres up the road to his son's place to be milked, but that was not an easy solution.

Mr Ferrari said he was still trying to work out the logistics of how to operate his farm while the bridge was out.

"We've got other paddocks and blocks elsewhere and we've got to go a fairly long way around to get to them," he said.

He said he was unsure how fuel tankers and milk tankers would now access his dairy using the alternative route to his farm because that road was not up to standard for them to be able to safely do that.

Corangamite Shire Council director of works and services Brooke Love said the council was glad no one was hurt when the bridge on the Gellibrand River Road in the Otways gave way.

The bridge had been earmarked for a further structural assessment when it collapsed, she said.

"This is a bridge we had been watching and were arranging for a more detailed engineering and structural assessment to be undertaken on it prior to the incident occurring," Ms Love said.

"All our bridges have recently had condition assessments completed by an independent consultant.

"We had engaged a company to complete this assessment."

Ms Love said the road had now been closed to through traffic but access to the area could be from either side - Lavers Hill Cobden Road or the Great Ocean Road.

"We will work to restore the bridge as soon as possible," she said.

"We will be reviewing the condition report of all our bridges."

Mayor Ruth Gstrein said the council had been waiting on structural assessments and works had been carried out on the bridge about 10 years ago.

"Very, very lucky and fortunate that no one was injured, that's the main thing," she said.

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