A Guide to Australia's Snowy Mountains

You may not associate skiing and snow with Australia, but the Snowy Mountains of southeastern New South Wales is home to some of the best ski venues in the world.

Here you can ski the vast slopes on many mountains, fish for trout in the beautiful cold, crystal waters of the Ovens River, and play 18 holes of golf on some of the most picturesque golf courses on the planet. The mountains offer fun all year round too. As children our family would camp in the mountains and we'd wade the ice cold running shallows of river, with it's smooth, tumbled pebbles and curious critters. The best fun we ever had was to swim under the many small waterfalls which cascaded fresh water straight out of the mountains above.

The Snowy Mountains region is also home to Mt. Kosciuszko, Australia's tallest peak. This mountain gazes across the vallies and snow fields, standing tall at almost 2.230 meters ( 7,300ft.). It sits proudly in it's own 7,000 sq km.National Park, which was declared by UNESCO in 1979 to be a World Biosphere Reserve. To the north, the park is just 30 km.from the nation's capitol, Canberra ACT. The southern border of the park hugs Victoria which is just 10 km. away.

Fauna And Livestock:

The Snowy Mountains are home to many sheep, Merinos in particular, whose fleece is world renowned for making quality bedding and clothing, among other things. Cattle are also grown in the highlands, and roam among the wild bushland throughout the summer before being driven to the lowlands for the winter months. Kangaroos live in the mountains, as well as the elusive Platypus, which is rarely ever seen. The Platypus hides in the cold waters of small streams, and is very timid. Only certain areas of Australia are home to this strange little animal, whose image appears on some of Australia's currency. There are also wombats, snakes, koalas and possums who live in, and contribute to the ecology of this beautiful alpine area.

History:

In the early 1800's, many settlers from Europe moved to the region in search of gold. The gold fields of Kiandra was teaming with life around the mid 1800's by many who sought and found their fortunes on the highland gold fields. This inspired famous poet and author Banjo Patterson's work entitled "The Man From Snowy River". A movie of the same name was made in 1982. Stars of the show were Australia's own Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton, accompanied by legendary actors Kirk Douglas who played Jessica's(Sigrid Thornton) Father, and Brian Dennehy who replaced him in the movie's part II follow up. This is an amazing family movie which showcases both the fury and beauty of life in the Snowy Mountains.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme:

In 1949, work began on the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme. My Grandfather, and Italian immigrant, was one of many thousands of men who worked on this massive construction. People came to live in Australia from more than 30 countries to seek work and a new way of life. This project provided an excellent opportunity for over 100,000 people to do just that. The area's population taught English to the newcomers, who are now honored with a flag draped avenue in their memory along the streets of Cooma, NSW. The area to this day, boasts many international citizens organizations, and welcomes anyone who cares to obtain membership and join in the festivities. The Hydro Electric Scheme(SMHES) was declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1997, and is considered to be one of the seven engineering marvels of the world.

Sources:

Take A Scenic Tour Of The Snowy Mountains,NSW. Australia:

http://www.atn.com.au/nsw/south/south-b.htm

To Learn More About The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme, visit:

http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/snowyscheme/

"The Man From Snowy River" movie can be purchased by visiting the following link.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084296/