Published as The Snowy River mail and Tambo and Croajingolong gazette from 1890 to 1911. The Gippsland Courier merged with the Snowy River Mail when proprietor Lachlan Ross moved to Orbost in 1910 In 1999 the paper was acquired by the Yeates family when the Hollins family retired from the newspapers business.The paper is still being produced by the fourth generation of the Yeates family as part of East Gippsland Newspapers. They also produce the Bairnsdale Advertiser, the East Gippsland News and the Lakes Post and the yearly publications East Gippsland Visitor Guide and the Great Alpine Road Touring Guide. This newspaper is still being produced today. Local newspapers play a vital role in communities as they are central to communication networks in regional areas of Australia. They are a valuable source of local news, act as a forum for debate and often set the agenda for local discussion. This item is a useful research tool as it reflects contemporary views.This newspaper is a first issue of 4 pp. It is titled "Snowy River Mail & Tambo and Croajingolong Gazette Orbost Saturday August 9 1890".snowy-mail-newspaper first-issue