But 20 years ago that divide allowed Albury to bask in the spotlight of being the first place in the home state of the 2000 Olympic Games to host the famous flame from Greece.

An estimated 4000 people watched former sports young achiever Damian Clark carry his torch across the Union Bridge from Wodonga and pass the flame to Albury paddler Tony Zerbst.

That moment, recorded by media from all over the world, late on the afternoon of Monday August 14, 2000 was something to savour for Festival of Sport founder Graeme Hicks.

Five years before he had begun working for Albury Council and found an envelope on his desk.

"Ray Stubbs, the CEO said 'I think you'll be able to handle this because we don't know what to do with it'," Mr Hicks recalled.

It contained correspondence from the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games seeking interest in having international teams train in regional centres.

From then Mr Hicks developed ties with the Olympic honchos and successfully campaigned to have the flame cross the Murray River at the same point it did when Melbourne hosted the Games.

"It had been through here in 1956 and I thought if it's going to happen again it would be great to have it here and that's why I came up with the slogan Gateway to the Games," Mr Hicks said.

"We wanted to make Albury-Wodonga feel like the people here were a part of it; it wasn't about individuals it was about having the community involved."

That goal culminated in a crowd reckoned to be 10,000 gathering at Albury's Kiewa Street car park, best known for hosting the Rotary Sunday market, for the lighting of a cauldron and official ceremony.

Urologist and 1980 Australian Olympic rowing team member Henry Duncan was given the task of igniting the bowl.

"It brought back memories of the 1980 Olympics, it was a surprise and I very much enjoyed it," Dr Duncan said this week.

"It was obviously a very special moment for Australia and NSW and it was an honour to be able to light the cauldron on its first night in NSW."

That moment in Albury came two days after the torch entered North East Victoria at Benalla with Man From Snowy River movie stuntman Gerald Egan lighting a cauldron while on his horse Smoke.

Then Border Mail photographer Matthew Smithwick snapped that instant and singer John Williamson, leaving him starstruck.

"It was quite extraordinary," he said of the experience which came only three months after he began at the paper.

"It was by far the biggest thing I had been part of and being a young cadet, fresh faced in the job, it was quite exciting to see behind the scenes of such a big event."

Smithwick and a team of other photographers had the job of getting images of all the torch bearers in the North East and Riverina.

"It was hammered into us we had to get every single runner, the aim was not to miss a single runner in our readership," he said.

While the bulk of torch bearers scored stints because of their community deeds, others had the opportunity through sponsorship agreement or media tie-ins.

Mr Hicks had pushed for SOCOG chief Sandy Hollway to bring the torch into NSW but after an outcry the public servant had his leg on Albury's Eastern Hill.

Then Channel 7 football commentator and Hawthorn great Jason Dunstall carried the torch on the outskirts of Wangaratta.

"This is the sort of thing you look back on and think how lucky was I to be a part of that," Dunstall said at the time.

The star flame carrier in Wangaratta was the city's cycling immortal Dean Woods, who won Olympic gold in the 4000 metres team pursuit at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

He lit the cauldron after doing a lap of the bike track at Norm Minns Oval, but organisers wanted him to use his legs rather than wheels, fearing he would fall over.

But thanks to his mate, now Wangaratta mayor Dean Rees, Woods achieved his ambition.

"He told me to look after his bike and I just stood with it there near the gate and he then grabbed it and away he went," Cr Rees said.

"They didn't want him doing it on the bike, but he said 'I'm famous for bike riding not running'."

In 1956 being able to run was crucial to scoring a place in the around-the-clock torch relay which travelled south from Wagga to Albury before hitting Wodonga at 1.30am on the day before the opening ceremony at the MCG.

A teenage apprentice motor mechanic Ken Jasper hoisted the flame for a mile (1600 metres) along the Hume Freeway between Chiltern and Springhurst at 3am.

To qualify for that role, Mr Jasper needed to be capable of running a mile in less than six minutes and defeat Rutherglen Shire rivals in a contest for places.

By the time the 2000 relay occurred, the grease monkey had been a Victorian member of parliament for nearly 25 years.

The then National Party member for Murray Valley had the chance to carry the torch near Bright.

Having couriered the flame on the two occasions Australia has hosted the Olympics, would Mr Jasper look to complete a hat-track if Brisbane's bid for the 2032 Games was a success?

"I think that might be a bit late, I hope not," the 82 year-old said with a laugh.

After flickering atop Mount Hotham, while with winter Olympian Steven Lee, the flame went from the Kiewa Valley to Wodonga, with Mr Hicks holding it on Thomas Mitchell Drive near the army cinema.

"I was worried about where we would be that night and everything about that was in my head, but running it was a great experience, you don't get that opportunity every day," Mr Hicks said.

After Albury's celebration, the torch travelled through Howlong, Corowa, Mulwala, Yarrawonga and Tocumwal to Finley.

It was there that then Balldale farm resident Michelle Wilson, who was heavily involved in Corowa-Rutherglen netball, had the chance to run with the flame after having been nominated by her mother.

"It was just amazing because everyone in Finley had come out for the day," Mrs Wilson said.

"It felt like the street was just full and they were all cheering and waving, it was really exciting."

Mrs Wilson's family, including daughters Regan and Brittany, then eight and three, watched on, with her oldest child trying to run out to greet her mother as she ran past.

Two decades on and pondering that thrilling time makes for a stark contrast to today.

The infectious spirit of that period in August 2000 brought thousands together, now we're being urged to remain distant from one another to beat COVID-19.

Coincidentally this would have been the last weekend of this year's Tokyo Olympics if the virus had not struck.