Cabramurra, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Cabramurra is the highest permanently inhabited town on the Australia
n continent
, situated at 1,488m AHD
(4,880 ft) in the western Snowy Mountains
of the Great Dividing Range
, in the state of New South Wales
. The name Cabramurra may be derived from Wiradjuri
gambirra marra, meaning "crooked hand".
house
s, as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme
and associated Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. An earlier surveying
camp had been established there in 1951. The town was moved some 500m and 20m vertically to a more sheltered position, its current site, in 1974, leaving the original site as the lookout. The original houses were either demolished or relocated to Talbingo, Adaminaby and Jindabyne. The new houses were built with Besser blocks to a design specifically tailored to the environment. Long steep roofs allow snow to slide off, and the interiors are designed around a central heater (originally fuelled by oil) which warms all rooms in the house either directly or indirectly (chimney passes between upstairs bedrooms). All power and phone lines are routed underground.
', being the place of residence for workers in the nearby Tumut
2 hydro-electric power station
and electrical
switching yards, and Tumut Pondage dam
. Only persons directly employed by Snowy Hydro, and their families, are permitted to live in the town.
The town has 48 houses, a general store
and petrol station, primary school, wet canteen (pub) (tavern
), indoor swimming pool
, single 'Poma' tow downhill ski slope, and tennis court
s. The nearest small towns for other shopping are Adaminaby
and Tumut; the nearest large towns (that is, with a hospital
) are Canberra and Cooma
. Emergency evacuation can be conducted by helicopter
.
The primary school has two classrooms, with one teacher taking Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade, and the other teacher taking 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade. The nearest high schools are at Tumbarumba and Cooma but only Tumbarumba is served by a daily bus service.
The short Snowy Hydro airstrip on the plateau above the town is often used by military aircraft practising short landing/takeoff exercises. The towns water supply is close to this airstrip and is known as "Dry Dam", on the dirt road that goes to Kiandra via "Kings Cross" and the Selwyn Snowfields
day-only ski fields.
In winter, the town can be covered by snow
for 3-4 months. This has dictated the building design with a very highly pitched roof for the houses. The town's downhill ski run was the first in Australia to have lighting installed to allow night use.
The town is located within the boundaries of Kosciuszko National Park
, on the road between Kiandra
on the Snowy Mountains Highway
to the north and Khancoban
, another hydro-electric power site, to the south. The road is kept open to and beyond Kiandra by snow plough
during winter, also serving the Selwyn snowfields
resort
. The road south of Tumut Pond dam is closed to traffic.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
, situated at 1,488m AHD
Australian Height Datum
The Australian Height Datum is a geodetic datum for altitude measurement in Australia. According to Geoscience Australia, "In 1971 the mean sea level for 1966-1968 was assigned the value of zero on the Australian Height Datum at thirty tide gauges around the coast of the Australian continent...
(4,880 ft) in the western Snowy Mountains
Snowy Mountains
The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....
of the Great Dividing Range
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, or the Eastern Highlands, is Australia's most substantial mountain range and the third longest in the world. The range stretches more than 3,500 km from Dauan Island off the northeastern tip of Queensland, running the entire length of the eastern coastline through...
, in the state of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The name Cabramurra may be derived from Wiradjuri
Wiradjuri language
Wiradjuri is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup. It was the traditional language of the Wiradjuri people of Australia, but is no longer in general use. The process of reclaiming the language was greatly assisted by the publication in 2005 of A First Wiradjuri Dictionary by elder...
gambirra marra, meaning "crooked hand".
History
Cabramurra was established in 1954 using prefabricatedPrefabrication
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located...
house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
s, as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Snowy Mountains Scheme
The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...
and associated Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme. An earlier surveying
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
camp had been established there in 1951. The town was moved some 500m and 20m vertically to a more sheltered position, its current site, in 1974, leaving the original site as the lookout. The original houses were either demolished or relocated to Talbingo, Adaminaby and Jindabyne. The new houses were built with Besser blocks to a design specifically tailored to the environment. Long steep roofs allow snow to slide off, and the interiors are designed around a central heater (originally fuelled by oil) which warms all rooms in the house either directly or indirectly (chimney passes between upstairs bedrooms). All power and phone lines are routed underground.
The Town Today
Cabramurra is a 'company townCompany town
A company town is a town or city in which much or all real estate, buildings , utilities, hospitals, small businesses such as grocery stores and gas stations, and other necessities or luxuries of life within its borders are owned by a single company...
', being the place of residence for workers in the nearby Tumut
Tumut, New South Wales
Tumut is a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, situated on the banks of the Tumut River. Tumut is at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains and is referred to as the gateway to the Snowy Mountains Scheme...
2 hydro-electric power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
and electrical
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
switching yards, and Tumut Pondage dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
. Only persons directly employed by Snowy Hydro, and their families, are permitted to live in the town.
The town has 48 houses, a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and petrol station, primary school, wet canteen (pub) (tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
), indoor swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
, single 'Poma' tow downhill ski slope, and tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s. The nearest small towns for other shopping are Adaminaby
Adaminaby, New South Wales
Adaminaby is a small town near the Snowy Mountains located north-west of Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire.The historic town, of about 234 people, is a trout fishing centre and winter sports destination situated at above sea level. It is one of the highest towns in...
and Tumut; the nearest large towns (that is, with a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
) are Canberra and Cooma
Cooma, New South Wales
-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....
. Emergency evacuation can be conducted by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
The primary school has two classrooms, with one teacher taking Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade, and the other teacher taking 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade. The nearest high schools are at Tumbarumba and Cooma but only Tumbarumba is served by a daily bus service.
The short Snowy Hydro airstrip on the plateau above the town is often used by military aircraft practising short landing/takeoff exercises. The towns water supply is close to this airstrip and is known as "Dry Dam", on the dirt road that goes to Kiandra via "Kings Cross" and the Selwyn Snowfields
Selwyn snowfields
Selwyn Snowfields is a small ski resort in the northern part of the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire and Kosciuszko National Park...
day-only ski fields.
In winter, the town can be covered by snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
for 3-4 months. This has dictated the building design with a very highly pitched roof for the houses. The town's downhill ski run was the first in Australia to have lighting installed to allow night use.
The town is located within the boundaries of Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park
Kosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia...
, on the road between Kiandra
Kiandra, New South Wales
Kiandra is an abandoned gold mining town and the birthplace of Australian skiing. The town is situated in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire inside the Kosciuszko National Park. Its name is a corruption of Aboriginal 'Gianderra' for 'sharp stones for...
on the Snowy Mountains Highway
Snowy Mountains Highway
The Snowy Mountains Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia which traverses the Snowy Mountains.The highway runs across the highland region in the southern part of the State. It starts at its junction with the Hume Highway near Gundagai...
to the north and Khancoban
Khancoban, New South Wales
Khancoban is a small town in Tumbarumba Shire, New South Wales, Australia. The town is located from the state capital, Sydney and from the state border with Victoria, in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, near the upper reaches of the Murray River...
, another hydro-electric power site, to the south. The road is kept open to and beyond Kiandra by snow plough
Snowplow
A snowplow is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes...
during winter, also serving the Selwyn snowfields
Selwyn snowfields
Selwyn Snowfields is a small ski resort in the northern part of the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire and Kosciuszko National Park...
resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
. The road south of Tumut Pond dam is closed to traffic.