Lightbox showing the elevations of dams and generators in the Snowy Mountains Scheme

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme was one of the most complex engineering projects in the world.

Between 1949 and 1974, the workforce built seven power stations, 16 dams, 80 kilometres of aqueducts and 145 kilometres of tunnels as well as 1600 kilometres of roads and train tracks. More than 100 temporary camps and seven townships were built to house the workers. Only two per cent of the scheme’s works are visible above ground.