Cabramurra
The ski tow of Australia's highest town, built for Snowy Mountains Scheme workers in 1955 and the first ski run in the country to be lit for night skiing; Snowy Hydro shut it down in 2016.
- Region
- New South Wales
- Country
- Australia
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1955
- Year closed
- 2016
- Reason for closure
- The Cabramurra Ski Club's lease with Snowy Hydro ended on 1 July 2015, and Snowy Hydro ordered the club's Poma lift and handle tow closed the following year. The forced closure left only four club ski fields operating in Australia.
History
Cabramurra, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, is the highest town in Australia. It was built to house workers on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme and served as the base for the Tumut 1 and Tumut 2 power station projects through the 1950s and 1960s. The Cabramurra Ski Club ran lifts on the town's slope from 1955 - a Poma drag lift and a handle tow serving a single downhill run, which was the first in Australia to be lit for night skiing, a practical arrangement for a workforce on shifts. The club's lease with Snowy Hydro expired on 1 July 2015 and Snowy Hydro ordered the lifts closed in 2016, ending 61 years of skiing and reducing Australia's club ski fields to four. The area is still used for cross-country skiing and snowplay, and the surrounding roads are a well-known winter drive. Run names and detailed lift specifications are not documented in available sources.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Platter | Poma | A Poma drag lift serving the town's single downhill run; ordered closed by Snowy Hydro in 2016. Installation date, length and manufacturer details beyond the Poma name are not documented |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | A handle tow alongside the Poma; closed at the same time in 2016 |
Sources and further reading
More in Australia
Location
-35.9362, 148.3809