Have your say on Scabbing Flat Bridge and you could win!
Transport for NSW is reviewing which historic timber truss bridges stay protected, and Scabbing Flat Bridge at Geurie is on the list.
This is the community's chance to be heard, and we want as many voices as possible.
We wanted to entice as many people as possible to let TfNSW know their thoughts about the heritage layer on our bridge.
Have YOUR say and go into the draw to Win $630 worth of meat from Darling Street Meathouse, enough to keep a family in sausages* for a year!"
*$630 voucher is about 24.3 kg of sausages ($630 ÷ $25.95/kg).
Why it matters
Scabbing Flat Bridge is a single-lane, 1910 timber bridge on a key freight and farming route.
Between late 2023 and October 2025, load limits forced trucks, farm machinery and locals onto detours of up to 70 km.
That cost time, fuel and productivity, and the extra costs flow through to everyone.
The heritage listing decides whether a modern, fit-for-purpose crossing can be built. That's why this review matters so much to our district.
How to enter
Have your say before 30 October 2026 by doing one or more of the following:
Complete the survey: https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/TTBS-review/survey
Place a pin on the map at Scabbing Flat Bridge: https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/TTBS-review/map
Lodge a submission: https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/TTBS-review/submission
Tell us you've done it send us a screen shot to FB or Insta or send Michelle an email tompayn@bigpond.com.
Lodging a submission?
Our example submissions [click here to open a link including a list of suggested words for submissions] can help you get started.
You are welcome to use your own words and experience, because personal stories carry the most weight. Send a copy to Michelle Tomkins tompayn@bigpond.com and, with your permission, we'll publish it on our website to help build the community's case.
Prize
A years supply of sausages for one person! (which is a gift card of $630.00 to Darling Street Meathouse.
Key dates
Competition closes: 12noon (pm), Friday 30 October 2026
Draw: Sunday 8 November 2026 at Geurie
TfNSW Consultation closes: 30 October 2026
Spread the word
Share this page with family, neighbours, truck drivers, farmers and anyone who has been stuck on the detour. The more people who take part, the stronger the message from our community.
Everyone is welcome to enter, whatever their view on the bridge. Entries are given for taking part, regardless of the views expressed. This competition is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Instagram, Meta or LinkedIn. See the full Terms and Conditions.
…Cost of living starts at the farm gate
Fixing regional freight chokepoints like Scabbing Flat Bridge is a cost-of-living measure, not just a roads issue.
The problem
Crumbling rural bridges and roads create freight bottlenecks that push up the price of everyday groceries.
At Scabbing Flat Bridge near Geurie, the response has been stop-gaps: load limits, recurring width restrictions and temporary structures, rather than a permanent, fit-for-purpose bridge.
Those restrictions force farmers, freight operators and small businesses onto long, fuel-wasting detours.
Who pays
Every detour burns extra time, fuel and productivity.
Freight companies don't absorb those costs. They're passed down the line and end up on supermarket shelves, including in Sydney.
A 2024 Senate Select Committee on the Cost of Living found that policies raising costs for those who grow, process and transport food feed directly into higher retail prices.
The fix
A small share of what's spent on city mega-projects would permanently upgrade critical rural freight links.
That investment would secure food supply chains and cut costs for primary producers straight away.
"It is time for the NSW Government to stop applying expensive band-aids to decaying infrastructure and start investing properly in the lifelines that feed New South Wales."
— Michelle Tomkins, Scabbing Flat Bridge Association President
Have your say
The Timber Truss Bridge Strategy review is open until 30 October 2026: haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/TTBS-review