Adaminaby

Adaminaby is located in the Snowy Mountains 55 kms North west of Cooma, on the Snowy Mountains Highway.

The historic town is a trout fishing centre and winter sports destination situated at 1,017 metres  above sea level.

It is one of the highest towns in Australia, and snowfalls are not uncommon during winter.

The construction of nearby Lake Eucumbene made it necessary to re-locate the original Township of Adaminaby in 1957. In times of drought, the original township and relics of the old valley re-emerge from under the waters of the lake at Old Adaminaby.

Today, Adminaby is a popular destination for snow sports enthusiasts horse riders, bushwalkers, fly-fishermen and water sports enthusiasts as well as a base for viewing aspects of the  Snowy Mountains Scheme.

Europeans first came to the the district from the late 1820s and Adaminaby first began to develop as an agricultural centre from the 1830s, with sheep and cattle becoming an economic mainstay. Early graziers used the high country wilderness above Adaminaby as summer pastureland. The area was set aside as a National Chase in 1906 and later became the Kosciuszko National Park.

In addition to agriculture, the fortunes of Adaminaby were affected by the discovery of gold at nearby Kiandra in 1859 and subsequent introduction of recreational skiing to the district around 1861, when Scandinavian gold prospectors are reputed to have strapped fence posts to their boots and slid down the snowbound hills of a landscape too frozen for mining. Kiandra’s ski facilities were permanently shifted “up the hill” to Selwyn Snowfields in 1978 and Adaminaby remains the main service centre for the Northern skifields – one of the oldest areas for recreational skiing in the world.

Today the area is renowned for its historic huts and access to unique wilderness areas, including the Mount Jagungal Wilderness Area. Adaminaby is today a good base from which to view different aspects of the Snowy Scheme, including nearby Lake Eucumbene, Tantangra Dam, Tumut 2 ower Station and Cabramurra, Australias highest town.

Adaminaby is also a popular base from which to fish on Lake Eucumbene and surrounding rivers. The town centre features a large sculpture of a trout, standing 10 metres high. Commonly known as the Big Trout, it was one of the earliest of Australiai’s “Big Things”. The Big Trout was built by Andy Lomnici.

For more information on Adaminaby and tourist attractions visit…

www.visitadaminaby.com.au