Centre Future Snowy Alpine Heritage

By STEVE CUFF

The Snowy Mountains is recognised as an iconic region of Australia with a long, fascinating and incredibly important history. There is no one venue housing this information and the Snowy Alpine Heritage Association have a desire to document and showcase that history via a new heritage centre.

The idea evolved decades prior from the Man from Snowy River Awards, and the association, formed in 2006, have been working in the background gaining momentum with their endeavour to make the project a reality.

Jindabyne’s Tom Barry and Leisa Caldwell have been key driving forces behind the project. On board more recently is Wayne Kirkpatrick who has a wealth of tourism experience having previously been Thredbo Managing Director, on the board of Tourism Australia, the board of Tourism Tasmania plus several years as Chairperson for Tourism Snowy Mountains.

In 2019 Jindabyne consultancy business TRC Tourism completed a feasibility study on behalf of the Snowy Alpine Heritage Centre.

The association presented the feasibility study to the NSW Government for consideration in their 40-year Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct (SAP) master plan. The association believed their project was viably strong both financially, plus ticked all the boxes of the 40-year SAP vision.

After all, a new heritage centre would create a tourism product that would entice a new demographic outside of the outdoor summer tourists, and the snow season visitors. The beauty being though, hundreds of thousands of existing annual visitors would add financial viability to the project. It will be a world class, unique attraction that broadens appeal of the region in summer and a much needed activity during inclement weather in winter.

The association was very disappointed they rated only a mere mention in the final master plan. And no glimpse of any funding. The location proposed was within the new Mountain Bike Adventure Park precinct on the Alpine Way overlooking Lake Jindabyne. This co-location sharing car parking, water, power installation, will reduce infrastructure costs for both projects plus the café in the heritage centre will service all visitors to the site.

“We have now reached a critical point and crossroads where we either keep on going or we give up. To put it bluntly, coming back to the community, do you want us to go on,” Tom Barry stated in January 2023.

“As a community do you want us to go on. If you do, let’s start not just showing your support, but having your support. It is one thing to show it, it’s another thing to give it.”

The association have just created a website where they will further inform the public of their project. Plus, they need to garner support from the wider community as they seek grant funding going forward.

In summary, the Snowy Alpine Heritage Centre would be a grand style of building catering to main galleries showcasing the entire history spectrum of the Snowy Mountains. From the Aboriginal people as the first peoples, early European settlers and explorers, the pioneers, the cattleman of the high country, the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme to the evolving snow industry that followed. It will be a high tech, immersive, experiential centre, it won’t be the archetypal museum with static displays.

“We have letters of support for the project from various historical societies, both state and national, and the various ski museums, there is a groundswell of support behind, we just need to put it up in the spotlight again,” said Wayne Kirkpatrick.

“Clearly there was some infrastructure necessary to support population growth, but the essence of the SAP was to generate tourism visitation outside of winter,” commented Wayne on his bemusement of the SAP rejection of inclusion.

They are currently in the process to update their 2019 feasibility study to current financial status, hopefully with the support of the NSW Government. Another goal is to employ an historian who can capture more stories and compile information.

“I have advocated to the Deputy Premier to support the Snowy Alpine Heritage Centre with $25,000 towards their business case - this will be a huge step to assist the further progress of the concept of the Snowy Alpine Heritage Centre,” said Member for Monaro Nichole Overall.”

“I acknowledge the hard work by Tom Barry and the Snowy Heritage team in looking to establish this amazing visitor experience that has incredible potential for economic and social benefits for our region.”

They have also reached out to Iris White, a Monero Traditional Custodian and Knowledge Holder who is fully supportive of the project. The heritage centre would house much of the Aboriginal history in one prime location.

“I think that it would be a real opportunity to share our traditional and historical information. We’ve got our history, but we’ve also got the shared history. And that will tell our stories, and I think it’s important that those stories are told. I think that there could be no better place than something like that heritage centre, to be able to facilitate the telling of those stories,” said Iris White.

“I just think it would be a great opportunity for not just our traditional history, but also, our contemporary and shared histories to be able to share that with the broader community.”

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