Lake Eucumbene is a man-made lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 on the Eucumbene River

Eucumbene River

The Eucumbene River rises in the northern part of the Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, and flows south. Its flow is blocked by Eucumbene Dam, the largest dam in the Snowy Mountains Scheme...

 in 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....

 of Southern New South Wales in 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 lake was created by the damming of the river as part of 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...

. The dam was built between 1956

1956 in Australia

-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State Premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of Queensland – Vince Gair*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...

 and 1958

1958 in Australia

-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Sir William Slim*Prime Minister – Robert Menzies-State premiers:*Premier of New South Wales – Joseph Cahill*Premier of Queensland – Frank Nicklin*Premier of South Australia – Thomas Playford IV...

.

Eucumbene Dam is an earthfill dam 116 metres high and 686 metres thick at the base. The wall is 580 meters long and carries a roadwayhttp://www.snowyhydro.com.au/LevelThree.asp?pageID=245&parentID=66&grandParentID=4. Its storage capacity is 4,300 million cubic metres, approximately equal to nine times the volume of Sydney Harbour.

Lake Eucumbene is connected by tunnels to the Snowy

Snowy River

The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the Snowy River National Park in Victoria and emptying into...

 and Murrumbidgee River

Murrumbidgee River

The Murrumbidgee River is a major river in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory . A major tributary of the Murray River, the Murrumbidgee flows in a west-northwesterly direction from the foot of Peppercorn Hill in the Fiery Range of the Snowy Mountains,...

s, and to Tumut Pondage

Tumut Pondage

Tumut Pondage also referred to as Tumut Pond Reservoir or Tumut Pond Dam, is a concrete arch dam and reservoir on the upper reaches of the Tumut River near Cabramurra in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. The wall of the dam is 90 metres high measured from the floor of the valley. The top of...

 and Tantangara Dam.

Human Environment

The town of Adaminaby

Adaminaby, New South Wales

Adaminaby is a small town near the Snowy Mountains located north-west of Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy River Shire.The historic town, of about 234 people, is a trout fishing centre and winter sports destination situated at above sea level. It is one of the highest towns in...

 was on the site proposed for the dam. Most of the buildings in the town relocated to a site on the Snowy Mountains Highway

Snowy Mountains Highway

The Snowy Mountains Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia which traverses the Snowy Mountains.The highway runs across the highland region in the southern part of the State. It starts at its junction with the Hume Highway near Gundagai...

, but some buildings were not flooded and remain at Old Adaminaby which, along with Anglers Reach

Anglers Reach

Anglers Reach is a village in New South Wales, Australia in Snowy River Shire. It is on the shores of Lake Eucumbene near Adaminaby. In 2006, it has a resident population of about 69 , but is popular as a holiday destination for trout fishing and as a base for visitors to the skifields at Selwyn...

 is a popular destination for fishing holidays for introduced trout

Trout

Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...

. Eucumbene is one of the premier trout fishing lakes in New South Wales.

As of April 2007, the waters of Lake Eucumbene had receded so far due to a pro-longed drought that Old Adaminaby began to reveal itself after being underwater for over 50 years - gaining the attention of the global mediahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3296397/Flooded-town-re-emerges-after-50-years.html. Of Particular interest was the re-emergence of the old 6 Mile Bridge near Anglers Reach on the former Highway route to Kiandra.