Jindabyne

Jindabyne is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is a popular holiday destination, especially in winter, due to its proximity to several ski resorts throughout the Kosciuszko National Park, including Thredbo and Perisher.Originally situated on land that is now under Lake Jindabyne, the township was transferred to its present location in the 1960s due to the construction of Jindabyne Dam, on the Snowy River, as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. At the, Jindabyne had a population of 2,629 people. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word meaning "valley".Jindabyne is one of the highest settlements of its size in Australia, at 918 metres above sea level. Light snowfalls sometimes occur during winter. In mid-July in 2004 and 2005, snow fell up to half a metre following freak snowfalls over a large area of New South Wales. Jindabyne is connected to the surrounding area by Kosciuszko Road, the Alpine Way and the Barry Way.HistoryOriginally situated on a site that is now under the waters of Lake Jindabyne, the township was relocated to its present position in the 1960s before the damming of the Snowy River as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The Scheme was developed from the 1940s as a way of increasing the flow of inland rivers in order to encourage the development of primary industries based on irrigation, and to create hydro-electricity.