Prior to the development of the Snowy River Hydro-Electric scheme, when the snow in the Snowy Mountains thawed, the water simply flowed into the rivers of New South Wales and Victoria, and then out to sea.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia, in the Australian Alps between Victoria and New South Wales. It is considered to be one of the wonders of the engineering world. The Scheme involves sixteen dams, seven power stations, a pumping station and over 225 km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts. The Snowy Mountains scheme generates electricity and redistributes water to the Murray River, where it is used for farming and irrigation.
Australia's Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme was a massive undertaking to redirect the waters of the Snowy Rver and the winter thaw of the Snowy Mountains for more efficient use both in hydroelectricity and for irrigation. Farmers were and are affected differently, according to their location. Initially, the scheme was seen as bad for the property owners in the area. Many farmers lost their livelihood, as stock animals (cattle, horses, etc) were no longer permitted to be grazed in the High Country. However, the Scheme brought many advantages for farmers. It generates electricity and redistributes water to the Murray River, where it is used for farming and irrigation, so farmers downstream are greatly benefitted.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia, in the Australian Alps between Victoria and New South Wales. It is considered to be one of the wonders of the engineering world. The Scheme involves sixteen dams, seven power stations, a pumping station and over 225 km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts.The Snowy Mountains scheme generates electricity and redistributes water to the Murray River, where it is used for farming and irrigation. The total electricity capability is up to about 3700 MW, which works out to roughly 10% of the needs of New South Wales, though this depends on having enough rainfall and melting snow. The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme was built between 1949 and 1975.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia, in the Australian Alps between Victoria and New South Wales. It is considered to be one of the wonders of the engineering world. The Scheme involves sixteen dams, seven power stations, a pumping station and over 225 km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts. The Snowy Mountains Scheme has many advantages. It generates electricity and redistributes water to the Murray River, where it is used for farming and irrigation. The total electricity capability is up to about 3700 MW, which works out to roughly 10% of the needs of New South Wales, though this depends on having enough rainfall and melting snow. The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme was built between 1949 and 1975.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia, in the Australian Alps between Victoria and New South Wales. It is considered to be one of the wonders of the engineering world. The Scheme involves sixteen dams, seven power stations, a pumping station and over 225 km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts.The Snowy Mountains scheme generates electricity and redistributes water to the Murray River, where it is used for farming and irrigation. The total electricity capability is up to about 3700 MW, which works out to roughly 10% of the needs of New South Wales, though this depends on having enough rainfall and melting snow. The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme was built between 1949 and 1975.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia, in the Australian Alps between Victoria and New South Wales. It is considered to be one of the wonders of the engineering world. The Scheme involves sixteen dams, seven power stations, a pumping station and over 225 km of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts. The Snowy Mountains scheme generates electricity and redistributes water to the Murray River, where it is used for farming and irrigation. The total electricity capability is up to about 3700 MW, which works out to roughly 10% of the needs of New South Wales, though this depends on having enough rainfall and melting snow. The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme was built between 1949 and 1975.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme was not built to stop power failures, as some have suggested.The purpose of the scheme was to harness the massive power of the melting snow for the purposes of providing hydro-electricity, whilst at the same time storing water that could be used for towns, farming and irrigation. Instead of just having the water flowing into the Snowy River and eventually out to sea, the scheme aimed to actively use the water efficiently.Economically, the scheme was and is important for several reasons. It provided work for tens of thousands of people at a time when unemployment was high. Started in 1949 the post-war period, it attracted migrants from all over the world, who helped contribute to the rich multiculturalism of Australia. It continues to supply necessary water to the farming industries of inland New South Wales and Victoria. The power stations of the Snowy Mountains Scheme also provide up to ten per cent of the electricity requirements for the entire state of New South Wales.The scheme used sophisticated technology for its time, and this alone gave Australia greater status in an increasingly technology-driven world.
The Snowy Mountains Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The waters of the Snowy River and its tributary, the Eucumbene, are captured at high elevations and diverted inland to the Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River, through two tunnel systems driven through the Snowy Mountains. The water falls 800 metres and travels through large hydro-electric power stations which generate peak-load power for the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.[1][2] The Scheme was completed by 1974, after twenty-five years of construction, and is the largest engineering project undertaken in Australia.[1][3] The Scheme's construction is seen by many "as a defining point in Australia's history, and an important symbol of Australia's identity as an independent, multicultural and resourceful country".[3] The Snowy mountains scheme is a network of dams and reservoirs that are used to run a hydro electric generation system. ( source Wikipedia)
The Snowy Mountains Scheme is an engineering marvel that fulfilled the vision of diverting water to farms to feed a growing nation and build hydro power stations to generate clean, renewable electricity. Each year the Snowy Scheme produces on average 4500 gigawatt hours of clean, renewable, hydro electricity, or around 70% of all renewable energy on the mainland National Electricity Market. In addition, through the use of a clean, renewable resource, generation of electricity from the Snowy Mountains Scheme displaces approximately 4,500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, that could otherwise be produced by coal-burning power stations.
It is taken through the great dividing range.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme brought significant changes to Australia. It was not built simply to stop power failures, as some have suggested. The purpose of the scheme was to harness the massive power of the melting snow for the purposes of providing hydro-electricity, whilst at the same time storing water that could be used for towns, farming and irrigation. Instead of just having the water flowing into the Snowy River and eventually out to sea, the scheme aimed to actively use the water efficiently. Economically, the scheme was and is important for several reasons. It provided work for tens of thousands of people at a time when unemployment was high. Started in 1949 the post-war period, it attracted migrants from all over the world, who helped contribute to the rich multiculturalism of Australia. It continues to supply necessary water to the farming industries of inland New South Wales and Victoria. The power stations of the Snowy Mountains Scheme also provide up to ten per cent of the electricity requirements for the entire state of New South Wales. The scheme used sophisticated technology for its time, and this alone gave Australia greater status in an increasingly technology-driven world.
I think you are talking about the Olympic Mountains.