The much-anticipated official opening of the new Towong Bridge to traffic on Tuesday was celebrated by communities on both sides of the Murray River, with the first cars officially driving over it soon afterwards.

Transport for NSW Regional Director South, Sam Knight, said about 140 people gathered at the campground on the NSW side of the bridge for the community celebration.

She firstly thanked the community for its patience throughout the work, which started in April last year.

“It is wonderful to be able to deliver this brand new 58-metre long bridge that can carry more traffic and heavier loads, and will require less maintenance,” she said.

“Towong Bridge is an important link across the Murray River for local residents in the Snowy Valleys Council (SVC) LGA (NSW) and Towong Shire (Victoria) and so this bridge will benefit the freight and agricultural industries as well as tourists and local residents.”

Corryong resident and special guest, John Whitehead, was seven years old when the old Towong Bridge was completed in 1938.

Speaking at the opening, Mr Whitehead remembered watching the progress of the original build almost every day on his way to school and at weekends, and now at 92 said he has enjoyed visiting the new bridge site each week with his wife Maxine to oversee progress.

He has understandably lost count of the number of times he has crossed the bridge throughout his lifetime.

“I used to cross the river on horseback before the bridge was built,” he said.

“Then I’d ride my pony across when it was half built – that was tricky – but my mother made sure we got to school each day no matter what and that meant we had to get across the river,” Mr Whitehead said.

He also recalled coming home from local dances in the early hours of the morning in summer and stopping at the bridge to go “skinny dipping” to cool down.

“The old bridge was great for the communities in the area as it provided a very important river crossing but it was getting old and was struggling to handle the heavier loads of traffic going across it,” he said.

“This new bridge is just fantastic. I’m pleased to say I saw the first bridge built.

“It’s been great to be here for the opening of the second bridge but I think I’ll probably miss the third one!”

SVC councillor, Julia Ham, said the bridge project is an excellent result.

“Snowy Valleys Council sends its congratulations to Transport NSW and to the contractor Neiman,” she said.

“My gratitude to the locals who have had to detour for the past 14 months. This has been a big inconvenience to many. Their patience has been noted.

“Life will be easier for people who have had to add over a half an hour to their trip. This bridge is now here for at least another 100 years.”

The NSW and Victorian governments funded the $10 million project as part of the Border Bridge Maintenance Program.

It includes a two-metre-wide shared pathway along one side of the bridge to add to the community’s connectivity.

The original bridge was finished in 1938 as a timber beam bridge across the Murray River between Bringenbrong and Towong.

Timber from the old bridge will be given to councils on both sides of the river to use in local projects to celebrate the old bridge.

Closure comes at a cost

It may not have rivalled the stunt of Francis de Groot who slashed the tape with a sword at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932 but a local property owner made his own point at Tuesday’s opening of the new Towong Bridge.

Towong Hill Road resident, Mark Auchinleck, had criticised Transport for NSW from the outset for not providing temporary vehicle access on the Victorian side of the border to landholders with property on both sides of the river.

At the bridge opening, Mr Auchinleck distributed copies of an invoice he had sent to Transport for NSW to the media, claiming compensation for his property overseer having to travel an extra 14kms a day while Towong Hill Road was closed during construction.

He is claiming $600 in compensation and an additional $190 for impeding travel between property holdings on the Victorian side of the border.

Related story: New bridge is good to go

This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 20 July 2023.