Historical information

This photo is of the very newly constructed State Electricity Commission town of Mt. Beauty. The houses up to Nelse street were erected from 1946 onward and then the township was extended beyond Nelse Street in 1950 which places this photograph about 1950/51. There is no evidence of work being commenced on the regulating pondage but the tail race canal can be seen on the centre right of photo. The workmen's camp was enlarged in 1950 to the extent of providing accommodation for a total of 1,200. There are a number of dwellings on Simmonds Creek and the road to Falls Creek can clearly be seen. Snow capped Mt. Bogong is in the upper left of the photo with Mt. Beauty behind the township rising to Big Hill beyond that.

Significance

Shows the newly constructed town of Mt. Beauty surrounded by farmland and before the regulating pondage was built to discharge water from the power stations via the West Kiewa tail race tunnel into the Kiewa River.

Physical description

Black and white photograph

Inscriptions & markings

Hand written on back of photograph "Mt. Beauty from Transmission Line"