The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, took nearly 30 years to complete in the post war period, and was an astounding engineering feat. It remains one of the “engineering wonders of the world”. It created thousands of jobs and drove the development of increased home-grown Engineering expertise in large civil projects.
Not without social & environmental costs of course, it brought with it some amazing practical power & water supply developments, and lead the country in embracing varied and valuable cultural influences, from it’s international, often refugee, workforce, recruited in the optimistic and welcoming post war Australia. It’s a great story, and all these drivers and outcomes deserve a bit of reflection. Today’s episode will discuss the background and inception of the massive project.
(40 Mins)
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REFERENCES Ep 38
McHugh, S. (2019). The Snowy : a history (Anniversary edition. ed.): Sydney, NSW, Australia : NewSouth.
MILLNER, F. C., & DUNN, B. R. (1989). The Snowy Mountains Scheme, Past, Present and Future. Paper presented at the The Institution of Engineers, Australia: National Conference 1989, Perth.
Australian Alps National Parks. Australian Alps National Parks: Education. Retrieved from https://theaustralianalps.wordpress.com/the-alps-partnership/education/
Australian Alps National Parks. Geology of the Alps.
Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Q-nIGTF_M78
Australian Alps National Parks. ([2006]). Aboriginal people and the Australian Alps. Retrieved from https://theaustralianalps.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/aboriginal.pdf
Australian Alps National Parks: Aboriginal Heritage. Retrieved from https://theaustralianalps.wordpress.com/the-alps-partnership/culture-and-history/aboriginal-heritage/
(2018). On track: walking the Bundian Way [Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/awaye/on-track:-walking-the-bundian-way/10313594
Blay, J. (2015). On track : searching out the Bundian Way. Sydney, NSW NewSouth Publishing.
Horton, D. (Cartographer). (1996). AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia. Retrieved from https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenous-australia
Khan, J. (2019). Decline in bogong moth numbers could have catastrophic effects in the Australian Alps. ABC News. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-02-27/bogong-moth-decline-in-australian-alps/10850036
Pascoe, B. (2018). Dark emu : Aboriginal Australia and the birth of agriculture (New edition. ed.). Broome, Western Australia: Magabala Books Aboriginal Corporation.
Sparke, E. (1996). Hudson, Sir William (1896–1978). In Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved from http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hudson-sir-william-10563/text18763
Waddamana Power Station Heritage Site. Retrieved from https://www.hydro.com.au/things-to-do/waddamana-heritage-site
Legal Opinion 1856: VALIDITY OF SNOWY MOUNTAINS HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER BILL: COMMONWEALTH CONSTITUTIONAL POWERS SUPPORTING BILL: SCOPE OF DEFENCE POWER: FUNCTIONS OF PROPOSED SNOWY MOUNTAINS HYDRO-ELECTRIC AUTHORITY, (1949).
Wikipedia: Bradfield Scheme. Bradfield Scheme. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradfield_Scheme
Wikipedia: Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfields_Water_Supply_Scheme
Sound: Intro/Exit music modified from: ‘Grand Canyon’ by LÃHSTANA DAVID [CCFM Music]
Lyre bird mimicking a kookaburra among others.. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_yyps09eiA
http://www.songsofthesnowy.com.au/Songbook.aspx