Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme
This scheme diverts the Snowy and Eucumbene Rivers inland to provide irrigation water and a secure source of renewable energy. It includes 16 large dams, 225 kms of tunnels and aqueducts, a pumping station and seven power stations. The Scheme was built between 1949 and 1974 by a multi-national workforce and was completed within budget and on time. It was, on completion, the most complex, multi-reservoir, multi-purpose hydro-electric engineering scheme in the world.
Construction of the Scheme was headed by New Zealand-born engineer William Hudson, who was knighted in 1955; he reluctantly retired aged 71, three years before the Scheme was completed.
With the myriad of nationalities that worked on the Scheme – most of them post World War 2 migrants, the ‘Snowy’ may be regarded as the birthplace of multiculturalism and of modern Australia.
The markers of Engineers Australia, and that of the American Society of Civil Engineers, have been placed at Tumut 3 power station, perhaps the most important power station in the Scheme; the station incorporates some pumped storage capacity as well as conventional generating plant.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | National Engineering Landmark (NEL) |
| Award Date | August 1990 |
| Heritage Significance | The Snowy Moountains scheme is widely regarded as a pivotal enterprise in Austtalis'a post-war economic and social development. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet | Not available. |
References
Em Professor L A Endersbee AO, The Snowy Vision and the Young Team - The First Decade of Engineering for the Snowy Mountains Scheme, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Academy Symposium, The Spirit of the Snowy – Fifty Years On, November 1999.
Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority, Facts - The Snowy Scheme - An Engineering Wonder, November 1997.
