Kiandra
Built on the wave of a goldrush in 1860, the town of Kiandra was once home to thousands of people and survived for 100 years. Although gold was the reason it arose, the town became best known as the birthplace of Australian skiing.
Kiandra lies 85kms north-west of Cooma on the scenic Snowy Mountains Highway. Gold was discovered in a creekbed in 1859, and soon 15 hotels and 30 stores stood ready for the rush, which lived up to all expectations. A 9kg nugget was extracted from ancient river deposits under the basalt cap of what became known as New Chum Hill.
Although skiing began as a pastime in Kiandra, it soon became an important skill for the townspeople as they came to terms with living in an area that was often isolated by deep snow.
The last resident left Kiandra in 1974, after which the National Park and Wildlife Services took over the town and demolished most of its buildings.
The area is rich in pioneer history, with relics such as the water races built by the miners and the old cemetery. Heritage walks take you past some of the significant sites in their wilderness setting.
Visit the Kiandra Historical Society web site www.kiandrahistory.net to find more detail on the history of skiing, mining, grazing, archeology, fishing and families in Kiandra.
