This address covers the development of transport links in New South Wales in the 19th Century, with particular reference to Armidale. The influences on the development of a transport network and how it occurred during the fledgling years of the Colony and more localised areas, such as Armidale, set the scene for future development and growth in the 20th Century and may well influence what happens in the 21st Century. In planning and developing expansion of transport networks and systems, it is often very useful to be aware of and appreciate how existing networks and systems developed and how they impacted on local communities at the time. Often situations have changed little in some areas and therefore some valuable lessons can be learnt from decisions, events and development in bygone years. This serves as a useful means of learning from past actions.

Timber bridges were built extensively throughout Australia, in the 19th and 20th centuries and over 2500 are still in use on rural roads in New South Wales. For many of these bridges degradation may have occurred and it is difficult to determine the carrying capacity of an apparently degraded structural timber element and the subsequent need for maintenance or replacement. This review examined commercially viable non-destructive methods of evaluation. Although some techniques hold promise for future application, such as optical fibre techniques, none was currently found to be entirely suitable for use with both new and aged timber beam bridge girders. A novel laser based technique was developed to provide a low cost measurement system that could be easily retrofitted to both old and new structures to provide a continuous indication of timber bridge girder performance. Extensions of this technique are also applicable to other large beams constructed from a variety of materials such as concrete, steel and engineered timber.

In this study, wind characteristics and wind energy potential of Armidale, which is a regional rural city (the highest in Australia) in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales (NSW) are examined and analysed utilizing mean daily wind velocity observations collected during the period 1994 to 2010. The wind velocity distribution curves of Armidale are obtained by utilizing the Weibull statistical probability density function based on the observed wind velocity data. Seasonal and monthly mean wind power at 10, 30, 50, and 70 metres heights. It concluded that Armidale is an eligible city for utilizing wind power as it has sufficient potential wind resource available. As a means of demonstrating such potential, a technical assessment is made for estimating electricity generation utilizing realistic wind turbine models of capacity 2300 kW, 2400 kW and 2500 Kw. The annual estimated electricity generation output and capacity factor produced for three different wind turbines are calculated and found to be significantly promising from generation and financial perspectives.

This paper investigates the strong European influence on timber bridge design and construction in the early Australian colonies. This investigation found that, whilst laminated timber arch bridges were expedient and cost-effective in the short term in the early Australian colonies, they presented maintenance and durability problems in the longer term. As a result they were progressively replaced by more effectively designed large span timber truss, metal or later concrete bridges. Considerable knowledge and artisan skills were acquired during this period in building such large structures with limited resources, other than natural materials and ingenuity. Nevertheless these bridges very admirably fulfilled their intended purpose until traffic loading and volume increased and alternative material costs decreased sufficiently to warrant eventual replacement.

Civil structures should be designed with the lowest cost and longest lifetime possible and without service failure. The efficient and sustainable use of materials in building design and construction has always been at the forefront for civil engineers and environmentalists. Timber is one of the best contenders for these purposes particularly in terms of aesthetics; fire protection; strength-to-weight ratio; acoustic properties and seismic resistance. In recent years, timber has been used in commercial and taller buildings due to these significant advantages. It should be noted that, since the launch of the modern building standards and codes, a number of different structural systems have been developed to stabilise steel or concrete multistorey buildings, however, structural analysis of high-rise and multi-storey timber frame buildings subjected to lateral loads has not yet been fully understood. Additionally, timber degradation can occur as a result of biological decay of the elements and overloading that can result in structural damage. In such structures, the deficient members and joints require strengthening in order to satisfy new code requirements; determine acceptable level of safety; and avoid brittle failure following earthquake actions. This paper investigates performance assessment and damage assessment of older multi-storey timber buildings. One approach is to retrofit the beams in order to increase the ductility of the frame. Experimental studies indicate that Sprayed Fibre Reinforced Polymer (SFRP) repairing/retrofitting not only updates the integrity of the joint, but also increases its strength; stiffness; and ductility in such a way that the joint remains elastic. Non-linear finite element analysis ('pushover') is carried out to study the behaviour of the structure subjected to simulated gravity and lateral loads. A new global index is re-assessed for damage assessment of the plain and SFRP-retrofitted frames using capacity curves obtained from pushover analysis. This study shows that the proposed method is suitable for structural damage assessment of aged timber buildings. Also SFRP retrofitting can potentially improve the performance and load carrying capacity of the structure.

This paper discusses the shortages of engineers in Australia and how this impacts upon local government authorities in rural and regional areas. The reasons why this situation has developed are analysed and remedial proposals by key stakeholders are outlined. The response by the University of New England, through a partnership with professional institutions and several local government employers, is detailed. In particular, the content of their new degree programmes, for both school leavers and mature entrants, is explained along with the metaphorical bridges between these programmes to enable engineers at all levels to be developed. The paper explains how this approach is expected to attract and retain professional staff in rural and regional areas that have previously suffered from staff depletions.

Technical education in Bhutan has been introduced since the late 60s, however, even after four decades of operation, various technical institutions function independently when it comes to academic programmes. Therefore, in the absence of formal academic linkages amongst these institutions, curriculum is mostly designed to suit the needs of the respective institutions and students are left without well-defined career goals other than finding employment. An articulation for these technical institutions will facilitate planners and policy makers to frame curriculum that will incorporate all aspects of career paths for the graduates from these institutes and simultaneously enhance the quality of training provided by these institutions.

Structures are expected to be designed with the lowest cost and a longer lifetime, without catastrophic service failure. The efficient and sustainable use of materials in building design and construction has always been at the forefront for civil engineers and environmentalists. Timber exhibits these characteristics and is a more appropriate candidate than most other structural materials, particularly in terms of fire protection, lightness, and seismic resistance. In recent years, timber has been used to design of low-rise commercial and taller residential buildings due to these significant advantages. However, timber degradation can occur as a result of biological decay of the elements and overloading that results in structural damage. Therefore, the load carrying capacity of older timber buildings can be questionable, particularly against lateral boards. This paper investigates damage detection and performance evaluation of older multi-storey timber buildings. In this process a method was implemented in order to provide real-time performance and damage information of a case study building before and after retrofitted improvements. For this purpose, damaged members are identified and then are retrofitted with engineered timber sandwich beams or Sprayed Fibre Reinforced Plastic (SFRP) to extend the life of the structure. Non-linear finite element analysis was carried out to study the behaviour of the structure subject to simulated gravity and lateral loads and to validate the effectiveness of the method of damage detection. This study show that the proposed method is suitable for structural damage detection of aged timber buildings and also the retrofitting methods cited can potentially improve the performance and load carrying capacity of the structure.

This paper describes the evolution of large-truss road bridges in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, citing specific examples of various genres. In particular, the high proportion of iron bridges constructed in northern NSW over approximately a 25-year period from around 1870 is highlighted. The proportion here was greater than the rest of NSW for the same period. Various postulates are canvassed as to why that might have been so. With the onset of periods of financial astringency, the engineering profession had to adapt and make changes to take account of worsening economic conditions and political imperatives of the times. Typical of such major changes at the time was a dramatic swing from substantive iron road bridges to much more slender, but astutely designed, timber truss bridges. These colonially designed, but US-influenced, 'lean and mean' timber bridges were a far cry from the earlier, stockier, high-maintenance versions that were inherited from British/European designs. In some respects, such innovative local design was a symbolic way of releasing the restraining shackles of the colonial past and the growth of a nation. For over 40 years, these new style timber bridges, of various forms of successive improvement, dominated bridge construction in NSW to the extent that NSW was euphemistically known as the 'timber bridge state'. It was not until innovations and improvements were made in steel production, steel fixing and concrete technology in the early 1930s that the newer materials started to replace timber.