Autumn colours on Jounama Dam, Talbingo

 

Talbingo
Historic village now a modern town
It is hard to write about Talbingo (which I knew very well as a child) without feeling that here, of all the places in the Snowy Mountains, is the one town which should have been protected from the ravages of Snowy Mountains Scheme. It was a tiny township full of fascinating history which extended far beyond its boundaries. It was the town where Miles Franklin, of My Brilliant Career fame, was born. The local Talbingo Hotel, apart from its wonderful bar sketch by Rufus Morris (the cartoonist famous for his work on the 'It's moments like these you need Minties'), was known for its trout fishing and its wildness which once extended to a man riding his horse into the main bar and shooting a hole in the roof with a shotgun. Ken Murray, at the time the successful publisher of Man and House and Garden magazines, built himself an eyrie on the top of a hill behind the town - it can still be seen from the lookout at Tumut Ponds Dam. And it was the beginning of one of the worst roads ever built in this country - a winding track which made its way via Yarrangobilly, Rules Point and Kiandra to Adaminaby and Cooma.

It was, by any measure, a beautiful place where the Talbingo and the Jounama creeks made their way through rugged country and the autumn colours of the willows and poplars beside the creeks were a joy to behold. Few people who experienced the area in childhood ever forgot it. Miles Franklin, in Childhood in Brindabella writes of Talbingo: 'No other spot has ever replaced the hold on my affections or imagination of my birthplace, nor are any other incidents so clearly and tenderly etched in my memory as those connected with it.' Elsewhere she wrote of the 'ferny gullies, to the sweet, and rush of many mountain waters'. Much of the magic of the area has been captured in Jack Bridle's excellent book Talbingo.

 

Autumn colours on Jounama Dam

 

Today Talbingo is a neat little township located on the foreshores of the Jounama Pond (it's really a dam) which lies at the bottom of the Tumut 3 Power Station. It is 462 km from Sydney, 42 km from Tumut and 412 metres above sea level. Like Khancoban to the south it nestles under the Snowy Mountains which rise immediately behind the town. The new town was originally one of the many camps established by the Snowy Mountains Authority but, being outside the Kosciusko National Park, it has not been subject to the restrictions which have been imposed on settlements like Jindabyne and Cabramurra. The houses in the township are now mostly privately owned and there are a number of privately owned businesses.

The town's past history is now drowned under the Jounama Dam. This is dramatically demonstrated by the sign on the way into town which reads 'Original Lampe Homestead - Birthplace of Miles Franklin in October 1879 - 500 metres'. Don't go looking for the homestead. The arrow which accompanies the '500 metres' indicates that what is left of the homestead is now under the waters of the Jounama Pond. In the same vicinity also lies the remnants of Talbingo Station.

It is worth recalling that Franklin's mother, who at the time was living in Brindabella some 100 km away, made the journey by horse and sulky to her parent's home, Lampe Homestead, to give birth.

Oltmann Lampe was not the first settler in the valley. The ex–convict William Bridle had arrived in 1848. In 1866 Bridle sold out to Lampe who was Miles Franklin's grandfather. Lampe's property was known as Talbingo Station. It remained the centre of the community until the site was finally drowned by the filling of the Jounama Dam in 1968.

So what does the modern town have to offer? In Bridle Street there is a cairn and park commemorating the fact that Talbingo was the birth place of Miles Franklin.

Modern Talbingo is a town where the architectural style is very much 'SMA Construction Town circa 1960'.

Things to see:  

The Interdenominational Church
Built by the Snowy Mountains Authority and with a superb view over the Jounama Pond, the Church of St Paul was the first interdenominational church in Australia. Rumour has it that the SMA agreed to build one church in the new town thus forcing the local clergymen to come to a hasty compromise. The church was duly opened and dedicated on 23 April 1967 by a Church of England clergyman, a Roman Catholic priest and a Presbyterian minister. - the three denominations now share the facilities.

 

Talbingo Reservoir
There are boat-launching facilities and a beach area at the spillway. Waterskiing and swimming are permitted. Access is via Dam Wall Road. Boat hire is available from Talbingo Caravan Park, tel: (02) 6949 5239.

 

Talbingo Adventure Company
Camping and adventure equipment is available for hire or sale at this shop in Talbingo Shopping Centre. They cater to mountain biking, water sports, camping and sports, tel: (1800) 643 373.

 

Jounama Lake
Fishing is permitted around the edges of this lake which is situated in front of the township.

 

Tumut 3 Power Station
5 km beyond the town (and clearly signposted) is the Tumut 3 Power Station which feeds water into the Jounama Pond. It generates electricity from the waters which flow from Talbingo Reservoir. The water comes down the hills in six pressure pipe lines and production of electricity is maximised by pumps in the power station which pump water back up the hill to Talbingo Reservoir during off peak periods.

The power generated at Tumut 3 serves both New South Wales and Victoria. The power station has an operating capacity of 1 500 000 Kw making it the largest of all the Snowy Mountains power stations.

It is open every day except Christmas Day and Good Friday and there are guided tours at 10.00 a.m., 11.00 a.m., midday, 1.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. There is also an interpretative area. The entrance fee is $10 for adults and $27 for a family of four. Concessions are $7 and there is a rate of $6 per person for groups of 15 or more. Day visitors require no booking but coach groups must book in advance. Open footwear is not permitted and visitors with pacemakers cannot participate, tel: (02) 6949 4115 or, for the information line, ring (1800) 623 776.

 

Buddong Falls
From the back of the power station there is a dry-weather-only road that leads to Buddong Falls where picnic tables, toilets and water are available. A steep walk provides access to the lower falls. It is about a one-hour return track but is slippery when wet.

 

 

 

 

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Talbingo