NSWFarming
Cooma
A pastoral town transformed by the Snowy Scheme.
1849Town surveyed · Monaro service centre
WHAT STARTED IT
Cooma emerged as a service and administrative centre for the Monaro’s grazing country. A court operated before the town was surveyed in 1849; its later growth was helped by traffic to the Kiandra goldfields.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The railway arrived in 1889. From 1949, the Snowy Mountains Scheme brought engineering offices, workers and migration on a scale quite different from the pastoral settlement, reshaping the town’s economy and character.
TURNING POINTS
1849Town surveyed.
1889Railway reaches Cooma.
1949Snowy Mountains Scheme begins.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A Monaro regional centre and gateway to the Snowy Mountains, with hydroelectric history and seasonal tourism alongside farm services.