Cooma
Cooma is the most genuinely multi-cultural rural town in Australia. Originally settled in 1823, it remained the centre of the Monaro grazing area until the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority (now Snowy Hydro) was established in 1949. Workers from all around the world converged on Cooma and the mountain construction sites to build the project, then the largest civil/electrical engineering project undertaken in Australia.
Cooma today is the largest town in the Snowy Mountains and remains the headquarters of Snowy Hydro. A popular way to familiarise yourself with Cooma's heritage is to stroll the Lambie Town Walk which begins in Centennial Park and takes in 10km of township and scenic bushland.
Known as the Capital of the Snowy Mountains, Cooma is a popular stop-off point for people en route to the mountains or the coast, and has a gateway information centre for travellers between Victoria and New South Wales.
The Mosaic Time Walk in Centennial Park depicts life in the Snowy Mountains from its origins through to the present time - a truly magnificent achievement that is testimony to Australia's pioneering spirit.
The International Avenue of Flags also located in the park contains the flags of the nations represented by the men and women who worked on the Snowy Mountains Scheme. A statue of the famous 'Man from Snowy River' immortalises Banjo Paterson's immortal mountain man.
Points of Interest
- Snowy Hydro Information Centre
- National Trust listed buildings and churches
- Aviation Pioneers Memorial
- Raglan Gallery and Cultural Centre
- The Corey Memorial
- Art Galleries and Craft Shops
- Vintage Train rides
- The treeless plains of Monaro
