56. Blowering Mtn and "Brandy Mary's" camping ground prior to the quarry scar.

57.

58. Now placing extra rock to raise the water height.

59.

60. Tumut River fully diverted.

61. Outlet on northern side.

62. Tunnel linings that had been built just up the road being inserted.

63. The snow even fell during construction.

64.This is where the diversion for the river and the Outlet valve will be. Notice the old West Blowering Road going round the works shed that was on the corner of Stanfield's property . This works site was where they build the tunnel inner wooden linings which held the concrete when it was lined.

65. The start of the river diversion through the tunnel. Valve partly completed.

69.

70.

71.

72. Northern side of wall half way to completion - see Construction Office on top of hill on West Blowering side. Note that the wall and slightly to the left is the location of Stanfield's house and property.Also see the road leading towards us - up to the quarry on Blowering Mtn.

73. Blowering Mtn Rock Quarry site.

74.

75.

76. After another load of rock with Ron riding "shot gun".

77.

78.

79. From up near the head of the quarry

80.

81. View from the quarry up behind "Brandy Marys" - Early days - see the Denning house site beside the WC&IC works camp - near the Bailey Bridge and the tunnel diversion of the West Blowering Road. See out in the back ground a small clearing - that is about where the Blowering Camp Site was located.

82. There she blows - getting ready for another load of rock.

83. Construction of the highway diversion - see the other side of Wort Hill - then across the Tumut River and notice the old Wst Blowering road on the Crans's property leading to Higgins - the McDonald's farm - where the camp is now.

84. Looking along Ryan's land to the west side. See Leo and Colin Myer's farms over the river.

85. Construction of a colvert on the new highway.

86. Looking up to the east side and the quarry

87.

88.

89. Blowering Station Head Quarters.

90.

91. Tunnel construction - very early days.

92.

93. As the dam fill for the first time - all loose debry is slowly drifting toward the outlet valve.

94.

95.

96.

97.

98.

99. outlet full - better get on with building the valve tower.

100. The Bailey Bridge constructed to take the heavy traffice from east to west at Brandy Mary's and became the detour road replacing Oddy's Bridge which was situated just to the north. The old West Blowering Road once ran just outside the tunnel outlet.

101. Jounima

collect, regulate, and use the waters of the southward flowing Snowy River and other streams in the Snowy Mountains for generating large quantities of peak load electricity for New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory supplement the westward flowing Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers to enable expansion by irrigation of primary production on the dry but fertile plains of the Murray and Murrumbidgee region. The Scheme operates entirely within the parameters of its enabling legislation, the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Power Act 1949 and the Schedule added in 1957. (SMA, 1993: 8)

16 dams

7 power stations

145 kilometres of tunnels

80 kilometres of aqueducts

and access roads were cut through the mountainous country. There were many construction records set and broken on the Scheme.

Bridges

Three types of bridge were built by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority (SMA):

reinforced concrete or steel girder

Bailey, timber or composite

timber span or suspension.

Most bridges in use are concrete or steel girder. Bailey bridges were originally designed as portable and usually temporary bridges. One suspension footbridge has been retained at Geehi Outlet.

Suspension bridge (SMA, 1992)

Dams are perhaps the most prominent above ground civil structures on the Scheme. There are sixteen dams spread over the Scheme with a total storage capacity estimated to be about thirteen times the volume of Sydney Harbour.

Satellite image of location of dams (SMA, 1993: 9)

There are five principal types of dam, these terms refer to the chief materials used in the construction of the dam wall:

Rockfill an embankment dam dependent for its stability primarily on rock, usually containing selected impervious earth and filter

zones, with more than 50% of its volume composed of compacted or dumped rockfill . (SMA, 1993: 69)

Earthfill an embankment dam consisting of less than 50% rock and mostly constructed of compacted impervious earth and filter materials in zones and protected by outer zones of rock. (SMA, 1993: 17) View image of Eucumbene Dam

Concrete gravity a concrete mass dam, which can be straight or curved in plan (SMA, 1993: 51) View image of Tumut 2 Dam

Concrete arch also a concrete mass dam. It is curved in plan with the convex (bulging) curvature on the upstream face. Designed so that most of the loads due to water pressure are carried to the abutments by arch action.

Section through Tumut pond dam (SMA, 1993: 40)

View image of Tumut pond Dam

Slab and buttress a concrete dam constructed with thin walls or buttresses perpendicular to the axis which support a flat slab of reinforced concrete that forms the water barrier. There is one slab and buttress dam on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Scheme on Outstation Creek to divert water into the Tooma-Tumut tunnel. (SMA)

The most common type of dam on the Scheme is the concrete gravity. Six dams are constructed in this way.

The highest dam on the Scheme is Talbingo, a rockfill dam, at 161 metres. The lowest is Khancoban, an earth- fill dam, at 18 metres. Eucumbene Dam has the largest reservoir capacity and Deep Creek the smallest.

Lake Eucumbene is the largest reservoir in the Snowy Mountains Scheme. It holds approximately nine times the amount of water contained in Sydney Harbour and covers more than 14 500 hectares. Lake Eucumbene collects water from the Eucumbene, Upper Murrumbidgee and Snowy Rivers and its enormous capacity is central to the flexibility of the Scheme to generate electricity and provide irrigation waters.

Eucumbene Dam specifications

Type

Height

Crest length

Base width

Crest level Earthfill

116.1m

579.1m

686 m

RL 1 1683.43m Spillway

Type

Capacity

Crest length

Crest level

Overflow ski-jump and bucket with two vertical lift gates, each 6.70m wide by 3.90m high

475 m3/s

13.4m

RL 1 161.30m

Volume of embankment

Earthfill Filter Rockfill Total 3 810 800m 31 088 300m 31 836 200m 36 735 500m3 River outlet works 0.15m diameter bypass to provide Eucumbene Cove water supply. Tunnel drainage valve modified for riparian right releases of 0.07 m3/s. Foundation Closely jointed hard siltstone and quartzite with overburden of decomposed rock and slope-wash up to 6.10m deep. Other features Subsidiary embankment containing 121 900 m3 of fill across a low saddle in a ridge forming the left abutment. Reservoir Gross Capacity Active Capacity Area at full supply level (FSL) 4 798 400 x 103m3 4 366 500 x 103m3 14 500 ha Construction period May 1956 to May 1958 (the gated spillway was constructed under a separate contract in 1977-78)

Section through Eucumbene Dam (SMA, 1993: 17) Plan of Eucumbene Dam (SMA, 1993: 18) Plan of Eucumbene Dam Spillway (SMA, 1993: 18)

Constructing the dam

Before the dam could be built, the waters of the Eucumbene River had to be diverted around the site of the dam wall. The diversion tunnel was constructed through the side of the valley by the Australian company Allied Constructions. This mid-1950s photograph shows the river flowing through the end of the diversion tunnel on the left while the dam wall takes shape in the background. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection)

The water intake tower, shown partially completed in the photograph below, stood at the beginning of the diversion tunnel. With the completion of the dam, the tunnel still permits the release of small amounts of water down the Eucumbene River. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection) While work on the wall and intake tower proceeded, the hillside that would form the reservoir basin was cleared of trees. This was necessary to prevent damage to the intake tower from plant material. This photograph shows a bulldozer clearing the forest that covered the Eucumbene River valley. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection) To minimise seepage and maximise dam strength, the ground at the edge and base of the dam wall was reinforced by grouting. Holes were drilled with machines such as the one below and filled with concrete. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection) The core of the dam wall was built up slowly with compacted clay to prevent seepage. This was carried out primarily by the sheep's foot rollers shown in this photograph. They are being pulled by International TD-24 bulldozers, which were used throughout the Scheme.

The clay was excavated from a soil quarry downstream of the dam wall and carted to the site in trucks and earthmovers. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection)

Tunnels

Approximately 98% of the Scheme's engineering features are underground. Tunnels and pipelines, dug deep under the Snowy Mountains, measure 145 kilometres, and with 80 kilometres of aqueducts, collect and divert the inflows of the Snowy Mountains area.

Overview of tunnel features (shown in order of length)

Tunnel Length km Excavated section metres Lined section metres Percentage lined Year of completion Eucumbene-Snowy Eucumbene-Tumut Murrumbidgee-Eucumbene Snowy-Geehi Tooma-Tumut Murray 1 Pressure Tumut 2 Pressure and Tailwater Jindabyne-Island Bend Guthega Murray 2 Pressure Tumut 1 Pressure Tumut 1 Tailwater 23.5 22.2 16.6 14.5 14.3 11.8 11.3 9.8 4.7 2.4 2.4 1.3 6.30 x 6.35 6.91 3.35 x 3.35 6.30 x 6.30 3.79 x 3.71 - - 3.96 x 3.96 5.87 x 5.74 - - 8.53 x 7.77 6.10 x 6.10 6.40 3.10 x 3.10 6.10 x 6.10 3.43 6.93 x 6.93 6.40 3.76 5.26 x 5.05 7.47 x 7.47 6.40 7.93 x 7.49 19.7 28.3 17.7 13.3 20.0 100 100 10.6 11.6 100 100 54.5 1965 1959 1961 1966 1961 1966 1961 1968 1955 1969 1959 1959 Summary of principal features (in SI Units) - tunnels (SMA, 1993: 172)

Specifications of Eucumbene-Tumut tunnel (SMA, 1993: 25) Plan of Eucumbene-Tumut tunnel (SMA, 1993: 25) Profile of Eucumbene-Tumut tunnel (SMA, 1993: 25) Tunnel cross-sections (SMA, 1993: 55)

The longest tunnel is the Eucumbene-Snowy at 23.5 kilometres. This tunnel diverts the water of the Snowy River from Island Bend Pondage to storage in Lake Eucumbene, and when required returns the water to the Snowy-Geehi Tunnel at Island Bend. It took four years to build the tunnel, a remarkable achievement when it is realised that the geology of the Snowy Mountains is predominantly granite and the diameter of the tunnel at maximum is 6.30 metres.

World tunnelling records were established on the Scheme. In 1961, the Australian firm Thiess Bros, were contracted for the Geehi section of the Snowy-Geehi tunnel. In 1963, the firm established the world record for hard rock tunnelling when 165 metres of tunnel was formed in a week.

Swift progress in tunnelling was the result of many factors, but two deserve a special mention:

the sliding tunnel floor and rock bolting. Sliding tunnel floor The sliding tunnel floor comprises a large sectionalised steel working floor platform, which carried rail tracks, points and crossings, drilling gantry and other tunnelling equipment. A hydraulic jacking system moves each of the three floor units forward in six stages. (Raymond, 1999)

Rock bolting

Rock bolts were used to support the roof and walls of major structures such as tunnels and power stations. Steel bolts, of different length and spacing, were inserted into the rock where they were found to be an excellent anchorage for the rock.

Rock bolts were tension bolts, that when placed, compressed broken or jointed rock surrounding the tunnel and converted the rock into a self-supporting arch structure. The technique of grouting, between the bolt and the rock, was developed for upward sloping bolts. It is claimed that the Snowy engineers developed the world's first successful method of grouting the holes between rock and bolt.

Expansion shell bolt. Adapted from (SMA, 1959: 2) Click to enlarge Sliding wedge bolt. Adapted from (SMA, 1959: 2) Click to enlarge Slot and wedge bolt. Adapted from (SMA, 1959: 2) Diagrams re-drawn by Yvette Hayes. Click to enlarge

Activity

1. List a range of hardware items that can be used to join masonry or support loads in rock. State the advantages and disadvantages of each support mechanism. 2. Make labelled freehand sketches to illustrate how these support mechanisms work.

Power stations The seven power stations (two of which are underground) house the large generators and turbines that produce the electricity from water that is stored in the Scheme's ponds and reservoirs. Power from the Snowy Mountains Scheme is transmitted at 330kV to the electricity systems of NSW, Victoria, the ACT, SA and Queensland. The Scheme can generate 3 756 megawatts, representing about 17% of the generating capacity of South Eastern Australia. Lower Tumut Switching Station at Talbingo in the final stages of construction. Since 1973 this facility has redistributed the power generated at nearby Tumut 3 Power Station to Victoria and NSW along 330 000 volt transmission lines. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection)

Towns

Towns like Eaglehawk, Sue City, Happy Jacks and Bella Vista were purpose-built to service specific projects. Home to hundreds or even thousands of people for several years, they were dismantled after work was completed. There were eight major townships. This photograph depicts a street of houses for workers' families at Eaglehawk near the Eucumbene Dam site in winter in the mid-1950s. The town was built by the NSW Public Works Department, which began the Eucumbene Dam project. These buildings were prefabricated in Sydney by Frank R. Wolstoneholme Pty Ltd and transported to the Snowy by semi-trailer. Unfortunately they were not specifically designed for use in the freezing climate of the Snowy Mountains. External water pipes froze in winter and the lack of insulation and double-glazing added to the discomfort in cold weather. Photo: Bayram Ali (Powerhouse Museum Collection)