The Snowy River Shire was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

in the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps is a mountain range in southeast Australia. It comprises an interim Australian bioregion,

region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

from 1939 until May 2016. It was named after the

Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...

that runs through it. Prior to 1936, it had been named as Dalgety Shire since establishment in 1906.

History

The Dalgety Shire Council changed its name to Snowy River Shire in 1939. The council seat was at

Berridale Berridale is a small town in New South Wales. At the it had a population of 1,300. It was the administrative centre of the Snowy River Shire until in 2016 that shire merged with two others to form the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, one of Austr ...

, which caused delays when mail and deliveries were erroneously sent to Dalgety. Dalgety was one of several new shires established in June 1906. A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Snowy River Shire merge with the

Bombala Bombala is a town in the Monaro region of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is approximately south of the state capital, Sydney, and south of the town of Cooma. The name derives from an Aboriginal ...

and Cooma-Monaro shires to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately . On 12 May 2016, the Snowy River Shire merged with Bombala and Cooma-Monaro shires to form the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. The last

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the Snowy River Shire was Cr. John Cahill, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

politician.

Towns and localities

The administrative centre of the former Shire was the town of

, with the sub-alpine town of

Jindabyne Jindabyne () is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is a popular holiday destination year round, especially in winter. This is due to its p ...

providing the main commercial centre for the southern

Snowy Mountains The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", is an IBRA subregion in southern New South Wales, Australia, and is the tallest mountain range in mainland Australia, being part of the continent's Great Dividing Range cordillera system ...

resort area. The town of

Adaminaby Adaminaby is a small town near the Snowy Mountains north-west of Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. The historic town, of 301 people at the , is a trout fishing centre and winter sports destination situated ...

is the service centre for the northern snowfields resorts and the starting point for most trout fishers eager to test their skills in the rivers and streams or the enormous expanse of

Lake Eucumbene Eucumbene Dam is a major gated earthfill embankment dam with an overflow ski-jump and bucket spillway with two vertical lift gates across the Eucumbene River in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's main purpose is for the ...

. It also includes the village of Dalgety, Anglers Reach, the ghost town of

Kiandra Kiandra is an abandoned gold mining town and the birthplace of Australian skiing. The town is situated in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council inside the Kosciuszko National Park. Its name ...

, and the ski resorts of

Thredbo Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, situated in a part of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and has been operated by Event Hospitality and Entertainment since 1987. It is approximately s ...

, Perisher,

Smiggin Holes Smiggin Holes is a village in the ski resort area of Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is primarily a winter-only resort village. It is within the Kosciuszko National Park, and is administered ...

, Guthega, and

Blue Cow Blue Cow may refer to: * Blue Cow (cartoon), a cartoon cow who appears in both ''The Story Makers'' and ''Tikkabilla'' * Blue Cow, New South Wales, a village in NSW, Australia * The Blue Cow, one of the "blue" public houses and inns in Grantham * B ...

Council

Final composition and election method

Prior to its abolition, Snowy River Shire Council was composed of seven

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s, including the mayor, elected for fixed four-year terms of office. The mayor was directly elected while the six other councillors were elected proportionally as one entire

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the former council, including the mayor, was as follows: The last Council, elected in 2012, in order of election, was:

References

Former local government areas of New South Wales 2016 disestablishments in Australia 1939 establishments in Australia {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub