Snowy Scheme cottage shows how workers lived in temporary towns
A restored two-bedroom timber cottage housed workers during the Snowy Scheme. It is now on display at the Adaminaby museum.
About 200 portable cottages housed workers during the Snowy Scheme's construction more than 75 years ago, trucked from town to town as each project stage finished. One cottage is now on display at the Snowy Scheme Museum in Adaminaby and shows how workers and families lived during Australia's largest engineering project.
The two and three-bedroom cottages were designed for families and moved often. Sometimes they moved with contents inside.
Workers might start a shift in one town and end up in another the same afternoon. The cottages had wood heaters, double glazing, and insulation for harsh winters.
Happy Jacks was one temporary town. This temporary town sat almost 1,500 metres above sea level.
Children went to school on skis there. When the Scheme finished, the cottages were sold.
They scattered across the region. They became farm sheds or holiday homes on the New South Wales south coast.
- 200
- Portable cottages
- 1,500 metres
- Happy Jacks elevation
- More than 75 years ago
- Construction period
- Adaminaby
- Museum location
Why it mattersThe cottage shows how Australia managed the task of housing thousands of mobile workers and families during its biggest engineering project.
AustraliaIt preserves part of Australia's engineering heritage and shows how the Snowy Scheme shaped communities and workers' lives across inland New South Wales.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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