The Snowy Scheme Museum is a museum in the
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 ...
town of
Adaminaby, New South Wales, Australia. It houses exhibitions relating to the
Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme.
Overview
The Museum tells the story of the construction of the
Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme and what life was like on the Scheme. The collection consists of significant examples of the machines and materials used to build the Scheme. Films, photographic murals and artistic panoramas are also exhibited. The museum concentrates on the stories of the Snowy workers and their impact on Australia, especially on
modern Australia's migration program.
The museum collection was gathered by enthusiasts over a ten-year period and the Museum was officially opened to the public by Governor General
Quentin Bryce
Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, (née Strachan; born 23 December 1942) is an Australian academic who served as the 25th governor-general of Australia from 2008 to 2014. She is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the ...
on 17 October, 2011. Governor General Bryce told those in attendance: "It is bringing this powerful component of Australia's history into a museum, for people to come and learn the history of the Snowy, for it to be passed down to generations".
Snowy Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme began construction in 1949 and was completed in 1974. It was a world-class feat of engineering and became a symbol of post-war reconstruction. It involved 100,000 workers from around the world who reversed rivers and built 16 dams, 7 power stations and 145 kilometres of tunnels.
Construction of the Scheme necessitated the flooding of the
Eucumbene River
The Eucumbene River, a perennial river of the Snowy River catchment, is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia.
Course and features
The Eucumbene River rises below Shaw Hill, in the northern part of the Kosciuszko N ...
Valley near Old Adaminaby and resulted in the relocation of the entire population of the township and construction of a new town on the
Snowy Mountains Highway
Snowy Mountains Highway is a state highway located in New South Wales, Australia. Its two sections connect the New South Wales South Coast to the Monaro region, and the Monaro to the South West Slopes via the Snowy Mountains. The higher altit ...
away from the rising waters 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 t ...
.
References
External links
Museum Homepage
{{Snowy River Shire , state=autocollapse
Museums in New South Wales
Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Highway
Technology museums in Australia
Adaminaby
2011 establishments in Australia
Museums established in 2011