We can’t promise the marching bands that made their way onto the bridge during the official opening (besides, they hold up traffic), but after decades of waiting the new Echuca-Moama bridge is definitely worth a drive.
Dhungala was unveiled as the name of the new Echuca-Moama bridge when it was officially opened to traffic by Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Victorian Transport Minister Jacinta Allan in April.
Dhungala is the Yorta Yorta word for the Murray River.
Jointly funded by the federal and Victorian governments, the Echuca-Moama bridge has been delivered by Major Road Projects Victoria and construction partner McConnell Dowell with crews clocking more than 640,000 construction hours on Stage 3 of the project alone.
The new bridge is expected to carry 10,000 vehicles a day and reduce congestion, including around the historic Port of Echuca.
The original bridge was the scene of a frightful accident in 1877 which threw seven workmen from scaffolding 15m to the ground below.
Red gum beams loaded with heavy bluestone that were used to drive the pylons were being removed when it toppled over. Six workers were killed.
The bridge served the busy port city well for 130 years, although in the fist year of operation there were several incidents of paddle steamers bumping into it.
By its centenary, the original bridge needed replacing to service the growing towns of Echuca and Moama and the thriving tourist trade.
It took years of campaigning, but now the link between the two towns is a sight to behold, and an additional visitor experience.