Guthega ski resort.jpg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Guthega is a ski village and the site for a hydro electric dam located in the
Kosciuszko National Park The Kosciuszko National Park () is a national park and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, for which it is named, and Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wildern ...
, on the upper reaches of the Snowy River, on the western face of
Mount Blue Cow Blue Cow is a ski resort that is part of Perisher located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, within the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. The resort is situated within the Kosciuszko National Park and is administered by the NSW N ...
,
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 ...
of New South Wales,
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 ...
. The village is made up of private lodges, a restaurant and bar, commercial accommodation, and facilities for snow sports and other outdoor recreation. Guthega is also the site for the
Guthega Power Station Guthega Power Station is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The power station's purpose is for the generation of electricity. It is the first to be completed and smallest of the initial seven hydroelectric power ...
- a dam used to generate hydro electricity as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, now managed by Snowy Hydro.


History

The Aboriginal cultural group Ngarigo were nomadic between Canberra, the Monaro plains, and into the Snowy Mountains for over 20,000 years. Pressures from European Settlers caused an increase in intertribal wars possibly taking place in the mountain areas around the Snowy River and similar water ways. Diseases introduced by the settlers such as
Small Pox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...
,
Syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
,
Influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
,
Measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
and Tuberculosis devastated Aboriginal populations, and by 1850 the survivors had all moved off their traditional lands, giving up their lifestyles to live with the Europeans around Cooma.
Herbert Schlink Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...
, Eric Fischer, William Gordon and John Laidley, of the
Ski Club of Australia The Ski Club of Australia is a private club and ski lodge located in Thredbo, New South Wales, Australia. It was founded in 1920 and as its foundation pre-dated the foundation of the Ski Council of New South Wales in 1929, it played a pivotal role ...
, with W Hughes, made the first winter crossing of the Main Range from Kiandra to Kosciusko in 1927. Guthega was declared a dam and hydro election power station site by the Snowy Mountains Scheme in 1949. Road works for the Guthega Power Station began in 1951 with the dam beginning in 1952. A Norwegian group was contracted to build the power station, and Guthega became known as "Little Norway", containing the largest number of Norwegians living outside Norway at the time. Power was first generated by the station 1955. Recreational skiing began at Guthega in the late 1950s with the first rope tow for downhill skiing being installed on Mount Tate's East Ridge by the SMA Ski Club in 1957. The YMCA Ski Club (now the Brindabella Ski Club) built two huts and one rope tow in 1960, and started running ski lessons with lodging. The SMA Tow hut burned down in 1965 and it was not replaced, but the first T-bar tow was erected on the West slopes of Mount Blue Calf that same year. In 1966 Walter Spanring and his wife Hannelore (Eberstaller), key developers of Guthega's ski areas to date, built the Guthega Hotel (later becoming the Guthega Alpine Hotel). In 1974 Peter Aynsley designed the Australian Ski Club lodge next to the Guthega Hotel and with financial assistance from the smaller ski clubs in the area, expansion of the skiing facilities on the West Face of Mount Blue Calf began in 1975. In 1980 new investors were brought in, and further development saw car parks, a chairlift, a ski centre and general upgrades completed by 1983. Guthega's new ski facilities were launched in 1983 with an international marketing campaign that included: * Range Rover Australian Freestyle Championships * Peter Stuyvesant International Pro-Am Dual Slalom * Australian Playboy's $10,000 "Girls of the Snow" Quest * Cold Chisel in concert at The Lake Jindabyne Hotel for the Playboy grand final * Ovaltine ski racing for amateurs and recreational skiers In 1991, Guthega was purchased by the Alpine Australia Group Pty Limited, the then operator of the Blue Cow Resort. This led to the operation of two resorts becoming integrated under the name Blue Cow-Guthega in 1992. Day access into Guthega then became possible via the Skitube alpine railway and the Blue Cow and Link Management Unit ski slopes. The Blue Cow-Guthega and Perisher-Smiggins resort areas were subsequently merged to become the Perisher Blue complex. Guthega skiing is included in the trail maps of the Perisher Blue ski resort, and a chair lift and two T-bars are sometimes operated from Guthega to link with Perisher Blue depending on demand. As well as downhill skiing, Guthega serves as a base for alpine and cross country skiers and boarders seeking access to relatively sheltered aspects and wilderness experiences, as well ice climbers heading to Blue Lake. In summer months it is used as a destination for sight seers and people enjoying recreation in the surrounding
Kosciuszko National Park The Kosciuszko National Park () is a national park and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, for which it is named, and Cabramurra, the highest town in Australia. Its borders contain a mix of rugged mountains and wildern ...
.


Natural features

* Snowy River * Mount Blue Calf * Blue Lake *
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 ...


See also

* Skiing in Australia *
Guthega Power Station Guthega Power Station is located in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales, Australia. The power station's purpose is for the generation of electricity. It is the first to be completed and smallest of the initial seven hydroelectric power ...
* Snowy Mountains Scheme * Perisher Ski Resort


References


External links


View more information on the development of Guthega

A river to be turned
- 1952 documentary film about the building of Guthega Dam
WikiSki entry for Guthega



Google search ''The history of Guthega'' in a timeline

The Australian Ski Club

Guthega Ski Club
{{authority control Towns in New South Wales Ski areas and resorts in New South Wales Snowy Mountains Scheme Mountains of New South Wales Snowy Monaro Regional Council