it did, only a few small farming communities and the copper and gold mining areas of Bethanga and Talarno, which were already in steep decline at the time the bridge was completed. The place is important in demonstrating aesthetic characteristics and/or a high degree of creative or technical achievement in New South Wales. Bethanga Bridge is of technical significance for the unusual use in Victoria of Pratt trusses, a predominantly NSW technology based on American engineering practice . The Pratt truss was frequently used in New South Wales but this represents a rare example of its use in Victoria. The use of this system in this instance, its design by New South Wales and construction by Victoria, also represents the cooperation of New South Wales and Victoria in the development and ongoing use of major infrastructure. Bethanga Bridge is a representative example of Pratt Truss design displaying the main characteristics at a scale that demonstrates the effectiveness of the design over long spans and of its repetition to create a bridge of considerable overall length. Its construction methods are also of note in the use of staged construction from abutments along temporary underslung Warren trusses. The bridge is of aesthetic significance for its dramatic rural setting over a wide expanse of water (when lake levels are high) and occasionally at great heights over broad river flats (when the lake is down). It is also of aesthetic significance for the vast scale and length and the rhythmic patterning of repeated geometric motifs of the trusses. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group in New South Wales for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Bethanga Bridge is of local social significance as an important local tourism destination and as the main link between the Bethanga/Granya region and the regional centre of Albury-Wodonga . The place possesses uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of the cultural or natural history of New South Wales. As a major bridge built by other than a state road or rail authority, Bethanga Bridge is rare and is the most substantial bridge erected by water authorities. It is the only built structure shared by NSW and Victoria. Engineering heritage The bridge received an Engineering Heritage Marker from Engineers Australia as part of its Engineering Heritage Recognition Program. Gallery See also Allan truss bridge List of bridges in Australia References Bibliography Attribution External