Khancoban is a small town in Tumbarumba Shire, New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The town is located 567 kilometres (352.3 mi) from the state capital, Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 and 13 kilometres (8 mi) from the state border with Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains

Snowy Mountains

The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....

, near the upper reaches of the Murray River

Murray River

The Murray River is Australia's longest river. At in length, the Murray rises in the Australian Alps, draining the western side of Australia's highest mountains and, for most of its length, meanders across Australia's inland plains, forming the border between New South Wales and Victoria as it...

. At the 2006 census

Census in Australia

The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...

, Khancoban had a population of 281.

Khancoban Post Office opened on 7 November 1876.

The town is a popular launching place for tourists exploring the Snowy Mountains area including Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park

Kosciuszko National Park covers 690,000 hectares and contains mainland Australia's highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko for which it is named, and Cabramurra the highest town in Australia...

. Khancoban is linked to Jindabyne

Jindabyne, New South Wales

Jindabyne is a town in south-east New South Wales, Australia that overlooks Lake Jindabyne near the Snowy Mountains, in Snowy River Shire. It is a popular holiday destination, especially in winter, due to its proximity to several ski resorts throughout the Kosciuszko National Park, including...

 and Cooma

Cooma, New South Wales

-Education: is Cooma's only public high school, it serves the town and seven of the neighbouring rural towns and villages such as Berridale, Jindabyne, Nimmitabel, Bredbo and Dalgety....

 by the Alpine Way

Alpine Way

The Alpine Way is a State highway in New South Wales, Australia.The Alpine Way starts near Jindabyne on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains. It runs south-west past Thredbo and crosses the crest of the Great Dividing Range at Dead Horse Gap...

, a scenic route that takes travellers past the ski resort of Thredbo

Thredbo, New South Wales

Thredbo Village and ski resort is in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, and a part of the Snowy River Shire.Thredbo is about 500 kilometres south of Sydney, accessible by the Alpine Way via Cooma, Berridale and Jindabyne...

. The closest regional centre is Corryong

Corryong, Victoria

Corryong is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and thus close to the New South Wales border. At the 2006 Census in Australia, Corryong had a population of 1,228....

, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) to the west in Victoria.

Khancoban was constructed to house workers involved in the Snowy Mountains Scheme

Snowy Mountains Scheme

The Snowy Mountains scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. It consists of sixteen major dams; seven power stations; a pumping station; and 225 kilometres of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts and was constructed between 1949 and 1974. The Chief engineer was Sir...

, Australia's largest engineering project, designed to provide hydro-electric power and water for irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 to vast areas of the nation. The town is still mainly populated by workers employed by Snowy Hydro Limited

Snowy Hydro Limited

Snowy Hydro Limited, previously known as the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority, is a corporation in Australia jointly owned by the Commonwealth , New South Wales and Victorian Governments....

 working in places such as Murray 1 and Murray 2 Power Station

Power station

A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....

s.

External links

• Tumbarumba Shire Council - Official Site
• Koscuiszko National Park - NPWS site
• Snowy Mountains Tourist Site
• Snowy Hydro Limited - Official Site