history of kosciuszko national park
aboriginal ; 21,000 years ago - 1823 AD
The mountains are very old and an ongoing life force that strengthens the ancestral link of our people.
We have a living, spiritual connection with the mountains.
We retain family stories and memories of the mountains, whick makes them spiritually and culturally significant to us.
Out traditional knowledge and cultural practices still exist and need to be maintained.
Kosciuszko Aboriginal Working Group
The Alpine regions of eastern Australia hold special significance to the Aboriginal communities of surrounding areas. During the Summer Aboriginal tribes would travel hundreds of kilometers to meet on the highest peaks. Tribes would meet for corroborees, settling disputes, trading, marriage and initiation of young men.
Aboriginal people lived in the Alpine Regions throughout the entire year especially in the lower valleys where there was more shelter and resources. This is evident from relics such as stones, rock shelters and drawing found in caves around the areas. It is impossible to tell the original population of Aboriginal people in the Alpine area as many were quickly killed after European invasion. |
Watch the video to see some traditional aboriginal hunting techniques used in Kosciuszko National Park
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european exploration ; 1823 - 1840
After the settling on the banks of eastern Australia, Europeans started to explore the Alpine region. Captain Mark John Currie is believed to be one of the first, crossing the Limestone Plains on the outskirts of Kosciuszko National Park on 1 June 1823. Legend has it that squatters followed him on the expedition and by 1837 Monaro was populated by 1500 people.
Count Paul Edmond de Strzelecki extensively explored the Snowy Mountain region and successfully climbed to the peak of Mt Kosciuszko in 1840. |
European settlement
Settlement of the European people was detrimental to Aboriginals all over the Alpine region as many were killed quickly by gunshot or disease as well as many being forcibly removed and placed in government reserves and subsequently relocated.
European settlement also left another mark on the region in the form of stockman huts and other shelters. These are the most noticeable forms of heritage left by settlers but you can also find rough-built stockyards, early ski runs, old sawmills, overgrown tracks, brumby trap yards and survey marks defining State boundaries.
European settlement also left another mark on the region in the form of stockman huts and other shelters. These are the most noticeable forms of heritage left by settlers but you can also find rough-built stockyards, early ski runs, old sawmills, overgrown tracks, brumby trap yards and survey marks defining State boundaries.
Grazing Era ; 1830 - 1960
Squatters and settlers started moving into the high country as soon as word got around of their lush grazing in the 1830s. Grazing in the area was based on a seasonal rotation as much of the high country could only be grazed in the warmer months due to snow. Mountain graziers would bring stock into the high country during Summer in order to give the pastures on their own property a rest.
Grazing in the Alpine region was gradually phased out as of 1994 when the government of NSW declared the area Kosciuszko State Park and all grazing had finished in the area by the 1960s.
Grazing in the Alpine region was gradually phased out as of 1994 when the government of NSW declared the area Kosciuszko State Park and all grazing had finished in the area by the 1960s.
Mining ; 1851 - 1852
The discovery of gold in Kiandra, northern parts of Kosciuszko National Park, bought thousands of people trying their fortune at striking it rich and finding gold.Today people can see what little remains of this time with few remaining buildings, water races and sluicing scares dotted around the old town.Copper and tin were also mined at Ravine. You can see the remains of old copper works and the crumbling walls of Julius Forsstrom’s 1909 Washington Hotel.
The snowy Hydro 1950 - present
The snowy-Hydro scheme was developed by State and Fedral governments after realizing the potential of the Snowy River to provide water for both irrigation and hydro-electricity. Works began in the early 1950s with the headwaters of the river being forcibly diverted westward through the mountains to provide water for the Murray systems.
The main structural damage of the Hydro scheme came from dams, tunnels and power stations situated along the river with the more important and less obvious structures for recreational users of the park are huts built by the State Electricity Commision of Victoria and the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authorities in NSW for the employees building the scheme.
The main structural damage of the Hydro scheme came from dams, tunnels and power stations situated along the river with the more important and less obvious structures for recreational users of the park are huts built by the State Electricity Commision of Victoria and the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authorities in NSW for the employees building the scheme.