A COUPLE of North East and Border landmarks have been acknowledged as engineering marvels.
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Bethanga Bridge, which spans Lake Hume, and Australia's largest surviving bucket dredge at Eldorado were awarded national heritage markers at the weekend.
Engineers Australia, the nation's biggest professional body for engineers, bestowed the markers.
A board was unveiled at the dredge on Sunday and a similar ceremony occurred at the NSW end of the bridge on Saturday.
Engineers Australia’s Engineering Heritage Victoria chairman Owen Peake said a permanent sign would be installed near the bridge after negotiations with NSW transport bureaucrats.
Whitlands engineering couple Carl and Margret Doring wrote nominations for both sites with the former focussing on the dredge through industrial archaeological ties and the latter having family ties to towns near the bridge.
Mr Peake said the 752-metre 1930 Bethanga Bridge was the most substantial span erected by water authorities and testament to the power of farmers who wanted access to land and Albury-Wodonga.
“The bridge is a landmark and complements the Hume Dam itself in terms of national pride and potential tourist value," Mr Peake said.
The dredge began in 1936, scooping up gravel to be screened for gold and tin deposits.
"During 17 years of round-the-clock hard work, the dredge recovered a total of 70,664 ounces of gold plus 1356 tons of tin ore," Mr Peake said.
He said the dredge was the first gold dredge built in Australia and the largest bucket-style to survive.
Mr Peake said financial constraints had resulted in the dredge's owner Parks Victoria unable to fund any of the $600 to $800 spent on the recognition board.
He hopes Transport for NSW helps with the $3000 cost of a fancier frame for the Bethanga Bridge to be erected on the lake side of the Riverina Highway.
Hume and Dartmouth dams have been previously recognised by Engineering Australia.
![Engineering feat: Carl Doring, Geoff Hayes and Parks Victoria's Andrew McDougall unveil the marker at Eldorado's dredge. Picture: MARK JESSER Engineering feat: Carl Doring, Geoff Hayes and Parks Victoria's Andrew McDougall unveil the marker at Eldorado's dredge. Picture: MARK JESSER](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/XJLgPnEdnKaFugZzKyL6Sw/ce609cb6-0c2c-4a05-8ab1-fd70f117ba0e.jpg/r79_272_4910_2659_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)