Adaminaby in the Snowy Mountains high country of southern New South Wales, is some 470 kilometres south of Sydney. European settlement in the area is believed to date from the early 1830s. Although the first recording of settlement was in 1848, being the pastoral station of John Cosgrove and Henry York. The station, "Adaminaby", was derived from a local Aboriginal word meaning "place of springs".

Even though a survey of the area took place in 1860, it was not until 1885 that the township was gazetted. The original proclamation reveals the town was named "Seymour". Debate must have ensued, as the name was changed the following year, bearing that of York and Cosgrove's colonial station.

The early industry of cattle raising was surpassed in productivity by sheep and wool industries. By 1893 a butter factory "Bolaro" was contributing to the local economy, as was a timber mill which ceased operations as recently as 1982. The 1860s saw copper discovered at nearby Kyloe, which experienced a peak in productivity between 1909 and 1914. Adaminaby also capitalised from the frenzy of the Gold Rush. Although gold was not exploited locally, the township acted as a staging post between the fields at Kiandra and Cooma.

With the development of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme in the 1950s, Adaminaby was inundated with the project's workers. It soon became an important residential and regional service centre. Albeit, this new development was nothing close to the transformation awaiting the township. The Snowy Mountains Scheme proposal depended upon the damming of many waterways, including Lake Eucumbene. Its design submerged Adaminaby, and its impounding waters necessitated the relocation of the entire town.

The resulting upheaval was difficult both physically, and for many townsfolk, emotionally. In April 1956 preceding the relocation, the town ritualised the event with a week of activities and festivities in the old town. Participants described it as a kind of wake for the old town. In 1957 relocation began to a site nine kilometres north east of the old town. The Anglican and Presbyterian churches were dismantled and rebuilt using stone from the original structures. Some houses were towed in their entirety. Even the cemetery was moved.

In October annually, Adaminaby is host to a Trout Festival at the Eucumbene Dam. A sculpture of a giant rainbow trout was erected in 1974, and has taken on a symbolic status for the township. Adaminaby is also visited regularly due to its proximity to the ski fields of Mount Selwyn. Mount Selwyn is widely regarded as one of the best ski resorts in Australia for beginners, families and school groups. The resort facilities include 13 ski lifts catering for beginners to advanced, and a ski school with a special training lift and gentle beginners terrain.


Overview

Adaminaby is the Trout capital of Australia. Attesting to the significance placed on trout in the region, a giant rainbow trout was erected in the town in 1974 and has since become an icon for the town holding great symbolic value to the local people. In October each year, Adaminaby is host to a Trout Festival at the Eucumbene Dam, the major reservoir of the Snowy River Hydro Electric Scheme. Other activities in the area include horse riding and bushwalking in many wilderness reserves and national parks close to the area.

Farmstays

Farmstays are popular within the Adaminaby township and there are a number of large stations which provide on farm accommodation as well as country style resorts; these include Bolaro and Fontenoy Stations.

Natural Attractions

Adaminaby is a regular visitors stop for those enroute to the ski fields of Mount Selwyn. The area has great natural appeal and has a number of outstanding natural attractions, including the expansive views offered at Cemetery Point Lookout, the beautiful Ashvale Valley, Lake Eucumbene and Tantangara Reservoir and the Namadgi National Park.

0 of a possible 0 points from 0 votes