feet long. Prior to 1918 this was the only source of asbestos in New South Wales. Northern Gundagai is built on a hill sometimes known as 'Asbestos Hill' and excavations in the area free the asbestos into the air. Chromite, talc, magnesite, copper and slate were also mined at Gundagai. Notable places Rusconi's marble masterpiece Local monumental mason Frank Rusconi, carved a miniature Baroque Italian palace from 20,948 pieces of marble collected from around New South Wales. The work is 1.2 metres high and, commencing in 1910, took 28 years to complete. It can be seen in the Gundagai tourist office. Rusconi sculpted the base for the Dog on the Tuckerbox monument, and created the model of the dog, which was cast at Oliver's Foundry in Sydney. Niagara Café The Niagara Café opened in 1938 and was a notable stop on the Hume Highway. The cafe makes much of a brief visit by then Prime Minister, John Curtin, in 1942, with a display in the window of the cafe of the crockery used by Curtin and Curtin's link to the cafe. Niagara Café was established by a Kytherian Greek, Strati Notara, and was the oldest continuously Greek-run cafe in Australia. In August 2019, the cafe closed and was put up for sale; it was subsequently restored by its new owners and reopened in June 2022. Heritage listed items A number of places in Gundagai are on the New South Wales state heritage register and on the Register of the National Estate. Gundagai rail bridge over Murrumbidgee River Gundagai Railway Station and yard group Gundagai Courthouse Gundagai District Hospital Murrumbidgee River Underbridge, Gundagai Gundagai Rail Bridge Approaches Old Gundagai Town Site Prince Alfred Bridge River crossings Gundagai is located at a crossing place of the Murrumbidgee River. There were several places at Gundagai that travellers could and did cross the river. The route across the Murrumbidgee at Gundagai eventually became the Great South Road. The Main Roads Management Act of June 1858 declared the Great Southern Road, from near Sydney through Goulburn and Gundagai to Albury, as one of the three main roads in the colony. However, its southern reaches were described as only a 'scarcely formed bullock track' as late as 1858. The road was improved in the mid-1860s with some sections near Gundagai 'metalled' and all creeks bridged between Adelong Creek (approximately 10 kilometres south of Gundagai) and Albury.