October 26, 2020
This episode concludes the series exploring the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme; the vast hydro electric, and irrigation project, that began in 1949 and was under construction for 25 years.
As well as providing much needed electricity and irrigation water to a soon to be booming Australia, the international workforce helped usher in the era of Multiculturalism, and the project developed engineering expertise and pride, at a time of great optimism in Australia.
(52 mins)
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September 28, 2020
Today we turn our attention the workers' arrangements. At the peak of construction, over 1959/60, there were 7300 people employed on the project. So that’s a lot of people to keep fed & watered, and entertained.
But it was hard and sometimes dangerous work, so we consider some of the human costs on the project too.
(56 mins)
Brilliant stories from Australia’s past! www.australianhistoriespodcast.com.au
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August 24, 2020
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme began construction at Guthega, with a Norwegian contractor, and before too long, power was being delivered to the people.
Workers and families got used to the new environment and the working conditions as the construction projects multiplied across the project sites, while others had to get used to their relocated townships.
(60 mins)
Brilliant stories from Australia’s past! www.australianhistoriespodcast.com.au
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August 6, 2020
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme was underway. Now they Authority had to acquire the land across the Alps, and recruit a workforce, to survey, plan and construct the many parts of the project; not an easy thing to do in booming post war Australia.
Part 2 gives an overview of the recruitment of workers, the majority coming from various worker schemes and displaced persons camps in Europe. And we learn about the arrangements for compensating and moving the existing landholders to make way for the Snowy Scheme.
(47 mins)
Brilliant stories from Australia’s past! www.australianhistoriespodcast.com.au
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June 29, 2020
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.
Brilliant stories from Australia’s past! www.australianhistoriespodcast.com.au
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