Ludlow River Railway Bridge

The colonial settlement of Ludlow was named after Frederick Ludlow, who is credited with discovering the Capel River. This is in spite of the Wardandi people living in the area for 1000’s of years.

 

Born in 1796, Ludlow immigrated to Western Australia with his wife as servants for Captain Mark John Currie. They arrived on board the Parmelia in June 1829.

 

In the following years he would walk long distances and at times, maintained a journal of his travels, although it’s believed no journal was ever kept.

 

Timber Industry

The tuart forest of the area covered a coastal strip area between the north of Perth and Busselton. It didn’t take long for the settlers to recognise its value in terms of “strength, durability, abrasive resistance and hard wearing properties” which “also contained natural oils enabling nails and black iron bolts to last longer”.

 

Approximate 3% remains of the tuart forest remains today.

 

Realising the impact of an unsustainable timber demand, research began in order to find a soft timber specie that could supplement the hardwood tuart and still meet the demands of the timber industry.

 

From 1910, the Forests Department (previously the Woods and Forest Department) created a number of pine plantations covering a massive area.

 

Railway Line

The first railway line was constructed in 1871 on a flat area that was previously used by horses to pull railway wagons. The first steam engine, The Ballarat, was privately owned and is now housed in the Busselton Jetty tourist precinct.

 

Ludlow River Railway Bridge

Constructed from 1895, the railway line formed part of the Busselton-Boyanup Rail Line and consisted of a single track.