Thredbo Landslide Site Memorial

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  The Thredbo Landslide Memorial is a haunting place. Here, in this scar in the hillside, this vacant space between ski lodges, sits the memorial. Descending from Bobuck Lane, a set of metal stair lead to a platform, where a plaque to the memory of the 18 people who lost their lives in the disaster. From the platform another two sets of stairs lead to the platform of reflection. This platform is the approximate size and shape of the Bimbadeen Lodge, which was destroyed. The handrails of the memorial have 18 large upright poles, each one representing a life lost. The disaster itself was due to an unstable hillside, water infiltration through the ground over many years, and poor building and road design. The Alpine Way, which crosses the Great Dividing Range was built only as a temporary road, during the construction of the Snowy River Hydro Scheme. The road was never reinforced for tourist traffic. After forty years, the inevitable happened, at 11:30pm, on the 30th of July, 1997. Here, in this ski village, during winter, the road and earth beneath it gave way, crashing into the Carinya Lodge, and due to the poor design, the building was swept it off its foundations and across Bobuck Lane. Its foundations can still be seen above the memorial, on the other side of Bobuck Lane. After crossing the lane, the landslide , with the remains of the Carinya Lodge, then impacted the Bimbadeen Lodge below, which was situated where the memorial platform of reflection now stands. The landslide destroyed the Bimbadeen Lodge, and continued down the hillside, stopping metres from ski lodges further down the hillside. 18 people lost their lives, there was one survivor.
  By Ché Lydia Xyang, February 12, 2017

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