Development history

The Snowy Monaro Regional Council area is located in south-eastern New South Wales, about 100 kilometres south of the Canberra CBD, and about 400 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD. The local government area was formed in 2016 through a merger of the Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snowy River shires. After millennia of settlement by various Aboriginal groups, the high country was settled by European stockmen, graziers and landholders in the early 1800s. In the 1860s, thousands of people from across Australia, Europe and Asia flocked to the gold rush town of Kiandra. Miners came in search of wealth and found gold along with a life that could be lived nowhere else in Australia. The last mining operations finally ceased in the early 1900s. At around the same time, the industries of grazing and timber began to take off with the timber industry slowly overtaking many historic properties surrounding areas in Bombala. From the mid 1900s, the Snowy Mountains attracted surveyors, hydrographers and engineers who sought a way to harness the power of the high country’s great rivers. The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electricity Scheme was launched in 1949, and today it provides power to three states. The establishment of the scheme in the region resulted in rapid population growth around Cooma with many new residents being employed on the railway and construction of the scheme. The region’s industry is primarily driven by tourism, including accommodation, food and retail services, and agriculture including farming, forestry and timber production. Historically, winter time (ski season) population of those in the area is largely different to that of usual resident population - almost 32,600 on Census night compared to just over 20,218 usual residents in 2016. The 2021 census took place during the COVID pandemic whilst the Sydney metropolitan area was locked down preventing travel. In consequence, the difference between the seasonal population and the usual resident population is smaller at 5,800 persons (27,335 persons on Census night compared with 21,666 persons usually resident).

Migration patterns

For more than 20,000 years the area around the Snowy Mountains which includes today’s LGA extent were home to a number of Aboriginal groups with a unique way of life. The region and high country was first settled by European stockmen, graziers and landholders in the early 1800s. In the 1860s thousands of people from across Australia, Europe and Asia flocked here for the gold rush. The Bombala area was inhabited by the Ngarigu Aboriginal people prior to the first European settlers arriving in the 1830s. More European settlers arrived in the Bombala area in the 1840s during which time the small township developed. Population of the region increased as Cooma the became the headquarters of the Snowy Mountains Scheme in 1949 and grew rapidly. Those working on the Snowy Scheme depended on the railway and during construction of the scheme, the railways were one of the largest employers in the region. Jindabyne was originally situated on a site that is now under the waters of Lake Jindabyne, the township was relocated to its present position in the 1960s before the damming of the Snowy River as part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. In recent years going back to 1991, the region has had a relatively stable migration profile. There has been a steady gain of families aged 25-39 years with children aged 0-9 years. A steady loss of young adults aged 15-19 years represents school leavers who move out of the region in search of education and employment opportunities elsewhere. There was relatively little change in the net gains and losses of older age groups with some gains of mature adults, empty nesters and early retirees aged 45-64 years. In terms of migration by location in the last Census period between 2011 and 2016, major migration flows were from overseas and from the Central Coast, etc. Major losses of population are to Bega Valley and Canberra/the ACT.

Historical migration flows, Snowy Monaro Regional Council, 2016-2021

Population and household forecasts, 2021 to 2041, prepared by .id (informed decisions), February 2023.

Note: The migration flows depicted above are historical and do not represent future or forecast migration flows or subsequent council boundary changes. The arrows represent migration flows to the area as a whole and do not indicate an origin or destination for any specific localities within the area. Overseas flow shows overseas arrivals based on answers to the census question "where did the person usually live 5-years ago" and .id estimates of international out-migration.

*Please note, the 2021 Census was undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time where border restrictions had largely halted overseas in-migration for the 15 months prior. 2016-2021 net overseas migration levels reflect this and therefore should not necessarily be considered indicative of longer-term trends.

Housing role and function

Over time, different parts of the Snowy Monaro region have established different housing roles and functions. As a whole, the Snowy Monaro region contains the following housing markets and with distinct roles and functions within it: There will be a continued gain of 25-44 year olds with the 25-34 year old segment represented by couples without children and young families. There is a steady loss of young adults aged 15-24 years representing young adults who leave the area in search of education and employment opportunities elsewhere, either in the ACT or further away. Mature adults, empty nesters and early retirees experience slight losses in terms of net migration and older populations (75 years and older) see little change in terms of net migration as persons in these age groups tend to be less mobile. Within the region, there are some variations in terms of housing roles and functions. Bomballa experiences several housing markets with little relative change in terms of migration volume over time. There are some gains of established families aged 45-49 years with children aged 10-14 years and some losses of younger families. Some minor losses of 50-59 year olds and smaller gains of the retiree and frail elderly age groups are evident. On the other hand, the Canberra Corridor area will have gains of young families aged 25-34 years with children aged 0-9 years. There is also a loss of 15-19 and 20-24 year olds leaving the area for education and employment purposes elsewhere, perhaps nearby ACT. There will be some gains of mature adults and empty nesters aged 45-54 years and a slight loss of early retirees and retirees aged 55-74 years. Cooma will gain both young and established families with children and also those mature adults aged 40-49 years. The trend of losing 15-24 year olds is also evident here and there will be little change in the net migration of those residents aged over 50 years.

Housing supply

The Snowy Monaro region experienced several waves and periods of growth, notably the period around the gold rush and during the establishment of the Snowy Mountains Hydro- Electric Scheme, as mentioned earlier. In recent years, since 1991, the period of growth and residential development equated to almost double than the period (almost 850 new dwellings compared to just over 400 in the period). In the post-2011 period, the number of residential building approvals was decreasing each year from 2011 to 2014 with the following two years, 2015 and 2016 illustrating increased annual totals of building approvals. This has resulted in an increasing assumed rate of development going forward with several currently developing sites, such as the Highway Estate in Jindabyne and the East Camp Drive area in Cooma contributing to additions of new dwellings. Future development areas have been identified in Cooma and in Jindabyne where several sites such as the Barry Way future residential development and the Kosciuszko Road residential development will contribute to the region’s dwelling supply, along with newly identified greenfield residential opportunities in Michelago.