The Snowy Monaro Region
A breath of fresh air!
The region stretches from the timber town of Bombala and the Victorian Border in the south east to Adaminaby, the 'home of the big trout' in the west. The Snowy Mountains alpine village of Thredbo, contained in the Kosciusko National Park, is the furthest point in the south and the town of Michaelago, and the Australian Capital Territory border, where the Monaro High Country begins is the most northern point.
Cooma is the crossroads and the regional centre of the Snowy - Monaro. The town is placed just over one hour by road from Canberra, the South Coast seaside resorts, the hinterland rain forests, the soft and hard wood forests and the alpine Snowy Mountain resorts.
The area is one of the Seven Wonders of New South Wales encompassing the high country rolling hills of the Monaro Plains and the snow clad peaks of the Snowy Mountains. It combines tourism with its base industries of agriculture, forestry and engineering, from which the area has developed.
Winter is renowned for its picturesque snow fields, Spring is a multitude of rural shows and festivals. Summer provides for relaxing fishing and bush walking activities with Autumn portraying the regions brilliant colours during its warm days and cool nights. These distinct four seasons combined with the friendliness of its people has given the region a relaxing but productive lifestyle.
The Lifestyle
The Snowy Monaro region has a relatively cool to mild climate. The mean average rainfall is 550 to 750 mm with the fresh alpine water and air so clean that the difference is noticeable.
The region is renowned for having a clean and safe environment. It has one of the lowest crime rates in Australia. The cost of living, in comparison to other regions is low, including house and land prices for both purchase and rental.
An array of cultural and sporting activities are available. The sporting activities include bush walking, white water rafting, snow skiing, water skiing, boating, horse riding, fishing, tennis, golf, all football codes, cricket, netball, swimming, squash, rifle shooting, boce, recreational flying, gliding, basketball and caving.
These numerous activities in the Snowy - Monaro region are complemented by sporting and leisure activities in the adjacent regions of the South Coast and Canberra.
The villages and towns in the region, as with many rural towns in Australia, have their own unique social character and entertainment. The rural shows, festivals, lavender farms, trout hatcheries, historic buildings, beautiful gardens, local and National Park walks, the Historic Railway and the Gaol Museum, all provide a variety of unique attractions.
With the national capital, Canberra, just over one hour away by road and Sydney and Melbourne just over one hour away by air from Canberra. The Capital provides access to additional social, entertainment and cultural activities. The national capital is a nearby resource for diplomatic, political and public service support. The majority of the region has access to five free-to-air television channels, numerous pay entertainment channels and national, regional and local radio.
The Towns and Villages
Cooma is the 'Capital of the Snowy Mountains' with a population of nearly 7,000. This regional service town within the Cooma-Monaro Shire, provides community and business support to the region's surrounding villages and towns.
The town has all major financial institutions, government agencies, health facilities, community services, educational establishments, major retail and accomodation centres. It is 10 minutes from the Snowy Mountains Airport and Polo Flat has its own Civil Aviation approved airfield, which is being considered to be developed as an Air Park.
Bombala is home to the Bombala Shire Council and has a population of 1,500. It has it's own primary and secondary school, hospital, hostel, and banks. Major developments in the forest / timber industry are already in progress and a recent emphasis on the visitor industry has meant that tourism is increasing. 
Bombala is renowned for its timber / forestry industry. Both the native and the plantation forestry industries are active in the town.
Jindabyne is situated on the banks of Lake Jindabyne and the foothills of the alpine slopes. The town caters for the year round tourist industry, providing a variety of restaurants, accommodation and activities. Jindabyne is continually developing with upgrades to its road system. It has a private Grammar school, a public central school (primary to Year 10) and a regional tourism information centre.
Berridale is a large village twenty minutes south of Cooma. The village is home to the Snowy River Shire Council with a primary school, retail, postal and medical facilities.
Adaminaby is home to the big trout and the scenic Lake Eucumbene. Originally an agricultural community, the town is developing a tourist focus with easy access to the northern ski slopes and the establishment of the Snowy Scheme Collection. Facilities include primary school, retail, medical, postal services, air strip, and service clubs. It also has a direct road link to Canberra, that is planned for upgrade.
Delegate is situated just north of the Victorian border and is 20 minutes south of Bombala. The small town, population around 300, supports its agricultural and forestry / timber industries.
Dalgety is a small rural village south of Berridale which is situated on the banks of the Snowy River. It has a heritage character with a range of activities and is a peaceful central base from which to explore the region. It holds several annual events and attractions.
Nimmitabel is a village with a population of 500. The village is positioned on a major tourist transport route from the coast, Canberra and the snow fields. Nimmitabel has a number of coffee shops and craft outlets.
Thredbo is nestled at the base of Crackenback Mountain and is an all year tourist destination. The village is a major international ski resort in the region and comprises over 70 businesses. These businesses mainly cater for the winter tourism season with all year tourism developing through its festival program.
Perisher / Smiggins / Guthega / Blue Cow / Charlottes Pass are parts of an international standard ski resort, catering for a variety of winter sports. It is renowned for the longest underground train in the southern hemisphere - the Ski Tube. Perisher-Blue provides major conference facilities through the Station Resort in Jindabyne.
Numeralla is a cultural village with folk festivals, an observatory, fantastic fishing and is surrounded by a diversity of farming and lifestyle opportunities.
Bredbo is a small village positioned on the major highway route into the region, servicing travellers and local agricultural enterprises. It has the oldest inn in the region. It is famous for its Pancake Pantry, Pizzeria and Christmas Shop.
Michelago is near to the Australian Capital Territory border and has become a rural home for many Canberra based workers and business people.
Population Growth and Structure
Population growth has recovered in the region. The estimated 2005 population figures were, Bombala - 2,710, Cooma - Monaro - 9,810 and Snowy River - 7,300 being a total of 19,880. The permanent population swells to over 30,000 during the winter ski season.
Unemployment figures are very low being less than 5%.
The regional community is one of Australia's most multi-cultural with over 65 ethnic backgrounds represented. The orginal Indigenous tribe was the Ngarigo people. Whilst descendents of the tribe and tribal elders are still alive, they are no longer resident in the area.
This diversity of the settler background is a result of the people involved over the years in agriculture, gold mining and the development of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, the ski industry and the Snowy Mountains Engineering Company. The "recent" immigrant population is integrated with the "old" settler population who have farmed cattle and sheep in the region for over 150 years.
The Kosciusko National Park attracts 2 million winter visitors and 1 million summer visitors to the resort area.
More statistical data can be obtained through the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Property
Industrial
There are a number of serviced industrial estates distributed throughout the region, including Bombala Industrial Estate, Leesville Estate in Jindabyne and Polo Flat in Cooma. These estates contain vacant sites in which the necessary development approvals, infrastructure and physical structures could be organised within suitable time frames for commercial / industrial businesses. The necessary architectural, engineering and construction expertise is readily available locally. Warehousing and work space areas are also available ranging from 1,000 sq metres to over 20 hectares.
Commercial
Whilst most retail shop fronts are currently being utilised in the region's towns and villages, there are some available, particularly office space. Managed workspace is also available at the Snowy Enterprise Centre, managed by the BEC. The Centre consists of high technology office spaces for small businesses. Each business is operated independently in the Centre whilst sharing common reception and office support services.
Residential
Inexpensive permanent housing or temporary leases are also available throughout the region. A mix of cottages, houses, units and flats are available in both modern and historical sites.
Rural
Rural land and homesteads range from 5 to over 1000 acres. This acreage varies from bush retreats to prime agricultural land, many with permanent water and sheds, fencing, etc.
Education and Training
A range of education and training facilities are available in the region. These include tertiary education through the Technical and Further Education College (TAFE) and the Monaro Community College. The New South Wales public education system includes two high schools in Cooma and Bredbo, a central school in Jindabyne and and sixteen primary schools placed throughout the region.
There are four private schools, St Patricks Catholic School (Cooma) and St Josephs Catholic School (Bombala), Snowy Mountains Christian School (Cooma) and Snowy Mountains Grammar School (Jindabyne).
The Snowy Local Community Partnership, operating from the Snowy Entreprise Centre in Cooma, provides a link between high schools, local businesses and industry. The organisation provides services to improved the transition of students from school to work and tertiary education.
High quality training facilities are available at the Snowy Enterprise Centre and other venues.
Four well established Universities (Australian National University, Australian Defence Force Academt, Catholic University and Canberra University) are located in Canberra just over 1 hour away.
Industry
The Snowy-Monaro region is predominantly a rural area with the main industries being agriculture, tourism, and forestry. These are supported by a whole range of local, state and federal government departments, community organisations, business support, retail and wholesaling activities. The Snowy-Monaro Business Enterprise Centre ( BEC ) manages a number of industry, business and community development programs.
Estimates of the value of our regional industry suggests it is worth $1.2 billion. This is mainly from the three major industry sectors of agriculture, tourism and forestry. Each of these three industries generate over $350 million per year, with engineering and other industries providing the balance of $150 million. Retail is one of the largest employers in the region.
The agriculture industry is mainly comprised of fine wool, prime lamb and beef cattle plus cattle and sheep breeding. New farming industries have developed including deer, goat, lavender, rabbits, herbs, vegetable produce, alpaca breeding, yabby, trout, native flora nurseries, fodder crops and a cool climate boutique grape industry. There are other medium sized industries which are related to the agriculture industry. These include an export meat works, wool brokers and sale yards.
The hospitality industry has for many years revolved primarily around the NSW ski resorts in the Snowy Mountains. Thredbo, Perisher Blue, Charlotte Pass and Selwyn resorts are within the Kosciosko National Park, the largest National Park in Australia. Over the past ten years efforts have been made to expand the summer season trade. The Kosciusko National Parks and Wildlife Service is a major employer and influence in the summer tourism industry. Tourism Snowy Mountains, the regional tourism organisation has been a major factor in the development of all year tourism.
The forest and timber industry is mainly based in the Bombala area. There are hardwood and softwood sawmills in the region with major expansion in the softwoods industry planned over the next ten years.
Snowy Hydro is a significant engineering enterprise for the region. The Snowy Mountains 
Engineering Corporation (SMEC), a major international engineering consultancy, and other smaller engineering companies provide an engineering base not normally available in rural areas. Major government services include the National Parks and Wildlife Service in Jindabyne, local Councils, the Cooma Correctional Centre and the Defence Service Centre, which is based in Cooma.
Other support industries include retail, wholesale, rural supplies, transport services, business and professional support services, banks, fabrication, building and building support industries, architecture, engineering, health, retirement and sports services. There are an estimated 3,000 businesses in the region with the majority being small businesses, home based businesses and agricultural enterprises.
Utilities, Local Authorities and Government Agencies
The main industries in the region are supported by the major public utilities. Country Energy has a base in Cooma servicing electricity distribution needs in the region. A natural gas pipeline passes through the region with townships of Cooma and Bombala having reticulated Natural Gas.
Telstra has a number of employees based in the region providing support and installation services. A fibre optic cable passes through the region. Cooma, Bombala and Jindabyne have access to broadband with some rural areas and villages having satellite broadband access, from a variety of Internet Service Providers.
The region has three local government areas (Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snowy River). The local governments provide a variety of services which also include enterprises such as visitor information centres, regional sale yard, sports and recreation facilities, regional library, show grounds and caravan parks.
State government services resident in the region include Department of Infrastructre, Planning and Natural Resources, Department of Corrective Services ( managing the Cooma Correctional Centre ), Department of Courts Administration ( Cooma and Bombala court houses and probation service ), Department of Health and Community Services ( community health centres, clinics and child centres ), NSW Department of Primary Industries ( with specific services run from Cooma and Bombala offices ), NSW Fisheries, NSW Public Works, NSW Police Service, Road Traffic Authority ( motor registry and works depot ), NSW State Forests, NSW Department of Environment (National Parks and Wildlife Service), Rural Lands Protection Board ( offices in Cooma and Bombala ), Department of Education ( various high and primary schools ), Department of Sport, Recreation and Racing ( managing the Jindabyne Centre and Winter Academy ) and TAFE ( Cooma college campus of Illawara Institute of Technology ). Federal government services include Centrelink Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service and Department of Defence (Defence Service Centre).
The regional community supports three hospitals, a small airport which has regular flights to Sydney and a number of fire brigades and ambulance services. Snowy Hydro and Cooma Hospital have helicopter landing pads. There are ongoing reviews of the local transport system infrastructure to cater for the development of the region as part of an overall South East Australian transport review.
Regional Development and Business Assistance
Representatives of the region's three local Councils, government agencies, major industries and 
small business work closely together. They provide the ability to facilitate development projects and participate in development in the South East through the Capital Region Development Council and the South-East Area Consultative Committee.
The Snowy Monaro BEC manages a number of business, industry and community development programs that support the work of the councils and committess.
The Snowy Monaro Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) provides business coaching and mentoring services and there are several local Chambers of Commerce, village/ town progress and development associations.