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.

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 year round, especially in winter. This is due to its proximity to major ski resort developments within the Kosciuszko National Park, including Thredbo, Perisher and Charlotte Pass.

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 2016 census, 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. Snowfalls regularly 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 & North via Canberra, the Alpine Way West to the Riverina and Wodonga and the Barry Way to the South and Gippsland.

Originally 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 hydroelectricity.Completed in 1967, Jindabyne Dam is a major dam, located approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south south-east of the relocated township. Parts of Old Jindabyne can be seen when the levels of Lake Jindabyne are low particularly the foundations of the old St Columbkille Roman Catholic Church. The settlement of East Jindabyne is located above what was Old Jindabyne. The dam's main purpose is for the generation of hydropower and is one of the sixteen major dams that comprise the Snowy Mountains Scheme, a vast hydroelectricity and irrigation complex constructed in south-east Australia between 1949 and 1974 and now run by Snowy Hydro.Jindabyne celebrated the new town's 50th anniversary on 19 December 2014 with a long lunch, parade through the town centre, and speech by Peter Hendy MP. The celebrations were attended by His Excellency, General David Hurley, Governor of New South Wales, Member for Monaro, Mr John Barilaro, Mayor of Snowy Mountains Shire, Mr John Cahill.

Jindabyne has an oceanic climate (Cfb). Diurnal range is high, both in summer and winter. Rainfall is low, with a slight peak in spring–summer and a notable drop in winter. Snowfalls are common in the region, but usually light. Owing to its position on the leeward side of the ranges, Jindabyne receives foehn winds which swiftly melt snow after a westerly frontal system has passed through.