Initial Note

Note: This profile applies to the boundaries of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council area as proclaimed on 12 May 2016. The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area incorporates the three former municipalities of Bombala Council, Cooma-Monaro Shire and Snowy River Shire.

Location

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area is located in south-eastern New South Wales, about 100 kilometres south of the Canberra CBD, and about 400 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD. The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area is bounded by the Australian Capital Territory and the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council area in the north, Eurobodalla Shire and Bega Valley Shire in the east, the Victorian border in the south, and the Snowy Valleys Council area in the west.

Included Areas

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area includes the localities of Adaminaby, Ando, Anembo, Anglers Reach, Arable, Avonside, Badja, Beloka, Berridale, Bibbenluke, Billilingra, Binjura, Bobundara, Boco, Bolaro, Bombala, Bondi Forest, Braemar Bay, Bredbo, Buckenderra, Bukalong, Bumbalong, Bungarby, Bunyan, Burra (part), Byadbo Wilderness, Carlaminda, Camabalong, Cathcart (part), Chakola, Clear Range, Colinton, Coolringdon, Coolumbooka, Cooma, Cootralantra, Corrowong, Countegany, Crackenback, Craigie, Creewah, Dairymans Plains, Dalgety, Dangelong, Delegate, Dry Plain, East Jindabyne, Eucumbene, Frying Pan, Glen Allen, Glen Fergus, Greenlands (part), Grosses Plain, Gunningrah, Hill Top, Holts Flat, Ingebirah, Ironmungy, Jerangle, Jimenbuen, Jincumbilly, Jindabyne, Jingera, Kalkite, Kosciuszko National Park, Kybeyan, Long Plain (part), Lords Hill, Maffra, Merriangaah, Michelago, Middle Flat, Middlingbank, Mila, Moonbah, Mount Cooper, Murrumbucca, Myalla, Nimmitabel, Nimmo, Numbla Vale, Numeralla, Nungatta (part), Old Adaminaby, Paddys Flat, Palarang, Paupong, Peak View, Pine Valley, Polo Flat, Providence Portal, Quidong, Rhine Falls, Rock Flat, Rockton, Rocky Plain, Rose Valley, Rosemeath, Shannons Flat, Snowy Plain, Springfield, Steeple Flat (part), Tantangara, The Angle, The Brothers, Tinderry (part), Tombong, Tuross, Wadbilliga (part), Wambrook, Williamsdale (part), Winifred and Yaouk.

Land Use

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area is predominantly rural, with a township at Cooma, and smaller townships and villages at Adaminaby, Berridale, Bombala, Bredbo, Cathcart, Dalgety, Delegate, Jindabyne, Michelago, Nimmitabel and Numeralla. Several ski resorts are located in the area. The Council area encompasses a total land area of over 15,000 square kilometres, including national parks, nature reserves and state forests. Rural land is used largely for agriculture (particularly sheep and cattle grazing) and timber production. Tourism is an important industry, particularly during the ski season, with trout fishing also being a major attraction.

Name Origin

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area is named after the Snowy River and Monaro, which is an Aboriginal word meaning “treeless plains”.

Indigenous Meaning

The original inhabitants of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council area were the Ngarigo Aboriginal people.

Settlement

European settlement dates from the 1820s, with land used mainly for cattle and sheep grazing and timber-getting. Several small townships were established in the 1840s and 1850s, including the village of Cooma. Rapid growth took place from the mid to late 1800s, spurred by the Kiandra goldrush in 1860, the introduction of recreational skiing in 1861, and the opening of the railway line in 1889. Tourism became important from the early 1900s, when access was improved and several accommodation places were built. During the 1950s and 1960s significant population growth occurred in and around Cooma, due to the township being the headquarters for the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme. The Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme was established in 1949 and completed in 1974, creating six major dams and ten smaller dams, in order to enhance agricultural production by irrigation, and to provide peak electricity generation for the wider area. The population declined during the 1970s and 1980s. The population fluctuated slightly between 1991 and 2011, but generally remained between 30,000 and 31,000 people.

Major Features

Major features of the Council area include Deua National Park, Gourock National Park, Kosciuszko National Park, South East Forests National Park, Tallaganda National Park, Wadbilliga National Park, Mount Kosciuszko, Charlotte Pass Snow Resort, Perisher Ski Resort, Thredbo Alpine Village, Snowy Hydro Discovery Centre, Kosciuszko Education Centre, Snowy Scheme Museum Adaminaby, Snowy Region Visitor Centre, Correctional Services NSW Museum, Eucumbene Trout Farm, Gaden Trout Hatchery, Snowy Vineyard Estate, Wild Brumby Thredbo Valley Distillery, numerous nature reserves (Badja Swamps, Binjura, Bobundara, Bondi Gulf, Burnt School, Coolumbooka, Coornatha, Dangelong, Good Good, Ironmungy, Kuma, Kyebeyan, Meringo, Merriangaah, Mount Clifford, Mount Dowling, Myalla, Ngadang, Nimmo, Numeralla, Paupong, Quidong, Scabby Range, Strike-a-Light, Tinderry, Undoo, Wadjan, Wullwye and Yaouk), Cooma Correctional Centre, TAFE NSW Illawarra (Cooma Campus), Cooma Hospital, Early Settlers Hut, Lavender House, Lake Eucumbene (Eucumbene Dam), Lake Jindabyne (Jindabyne Dam), Tantangara Reservoir (Tantangara Dam), the Cooma CBD, Centennial Park, the Bundian Way, the Snowy River, the Murrumbidgee River and numerous state forests.

Transport

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area is served by the Monaro Highway and the Snowy Mountains Highway.