Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme, NSW, Australia - Engineering Landmarks on Waymarking.com

From the website:
The Scheme collects and stores the water that would normally flow east to the coast and diverts it through trans-mountain tunnels and power stations. The water is then released into the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers for irrigation.

The Scheme took 25 years to build and was completed in 1974. More than 100,000 people from over 30 countries came to work in the mountains to make true a vision of diverting water to farms to feed a growing nation and to build power stations to generate electricity for homes and industries.

In 1967, the American Society of Civil Engineers rated the Snowy Mountains Scheme as one of the seven civil engineering wonders of the modern world.

During construction, seven regional townships and over 100 temporary camps were established throughout the Snowy Mountains. These towns and camps serviced the men, women and families who came to build the Scheme. Life in the camps was extremely hard, especially during the early years, when hundreds of men spent harsh winters in canvas tents with only basic amenities and provisions.

The Scheme is operated and maintained by Snowy Hydro Limited. Snowy Hydro currently provides over 70% of all renewable energy that is available to the eastern mainland grid of Australia.

The Snowy Mountains Scheme Information and Education Centre has an extensive photographic collection, models, hands-on exhibits and interactive displays, which focus on aspects such as engineering, environment, the National Electricity Market, history, water management and power generation. Have a go on the “power bikes” and see how much energy you can generate.

Location: The Scheme is mostly located in the Kosciuszko National Park. However, only two per cent of its engineering features are above ground. A fee is charged for entry to Kosciuszko National Park. There are also 3 visitor centres - this waymark was taken at The Snowy Mountains Scheme Information and Education Centre in Cooma - 2km north of the Cooma CBD on the Monaro Hwy. Entry to the visitor centre is free. It is also outside the park, so no park entry fees are required. Type of structure/site: 16 major dams, 7 power stations (2 underground), a pumping station, 145kms of inter-connected trans-mountain tunnels & 80kms of aqueducts Date of Construction: 1949-1974 Engineer/Architect/Builder etc.: The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority was created to manage the project Engineering Organization Listing: American Society of Civil Engineers Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Web Site: [Web Link]

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