Shannons Flat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shannons Flat New South Wales
Shannons Flat Location in New South Wales
Population	78 (2016 census)
Postcode(s)	2630
Location	308 km (191 mi) S of Sydney 70 km (43 mi) SW of Canberra 40 km (25 mi) NW of Cooma
LGA(s)	Snowy Monaro Regional Council
State electorate(s)	Monaro
Federal Division(s)	Eden-Monaro
Localities around Shannons Flat: Yaouk ACT Colinton Bolaro Shannons Flat Bredbo Dry Plain Murrumbucca Billilingra

Shannons Flat is a small place in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. It's part of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council area. It sits between the southern edge of Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capital Territory and the Murrumbidgee River.

Nearby places include Yaouk, Bolaro, Murrumbucca, Bredbo, and Billilingra. Shannons Flat is about 308 kilometers (191 miles) southwest of the state capital, Sydney. It's also about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Australia's national capital, Canberra. The town of Cooma is just over 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the northwest. In 2016, only 78 people lived in Shannons Flat.

Exploring Shannons Flat's Landscape

Shannons Flat is located in the Snowy Mountains part of the Monaro region. Most of the area is between 1,000 and 1,400 meters (3,280 to 4,590 feet) above sea level. This means it often gets snowfalls each year, making it a beautiful winter spot.

Key Natural Features

• Mount Roberts: This mountain is 1,450 meters (4,760 feet) high. It offers amazing views across the entire Monaro region.
• Alum Creek and Jones Creek: These two creeks flow south. They both eventually join the Murrumbidgee River.
• Shannons Flat Granodiorite: The rocks in this area include a special type called Shannons Flat Granodiorite. This rock helps scientists understand the geology of the region.

Roads and Travel

Two main roads go through Shannons Flat. The Shannons Flat Road/Yaouk Road connects Cooma to Yaouk. The Bobeyan Road runs from Tharwa (near Canberra) southwest to Adaminaby.

Where these two roads meet, you'll find the local community hall and the Rural Fire Service shed. The Bobeyan Road is the shortest way from Canberra to Adaminaby and the Selwyn Snowfields ski resort. However, tourists often avoid it because parts of the road are gravel and can be rough. Other local roads include Jones Plain Road, Callemondah Road, and Wrights Hill Road.

A Look Back at Shannons Flat's History

The Shannons Flat area was settled a long time ago, around 1840. An early path to the goldfields of Kiandra used to go through this area.

Early Schools and Settlement

A small school called Alum Creek School was open from 1887 to 1897. The Shannons Flat and Yaouk areas were quite isolated at first. Early settlers often reached Yaouk by crossing the Murrumbidgee River near Bredbo and traveling through rough country.

In 1831, records show J. Slake (likely Blake) owned the Yayak (Yaouk) station. The Brayshaw family settled in the Bobeyan Valley in the 1840s. The Yaouk property was later bought by Archibald Crawford and Lachlan Cochrane. Today, the Cochrane family still owns it. For many years, people in the district relied on the town of Adaminaby for supplies. The poet Barcroft Boake lived here in the 1880s and wrote poems inspired by the local places and events.

Community Life and Development

Even though Shannons Flat never grew into a large village, a school opened there in 1906. It was a one-teacher school with a house for the teacher. At one point, it had 14 students. The school closed in 1965, and the building was later moved to Peak View.

The Bell family of Shannons Flat got the first telephone in the area in 1918. The community hall, a place for local gatherings, was built in 1946 on land given by the Luton family. For many years, mail was delivered only once a week. The mailman would stay the weekend and return to Cooma on Monday with mail and local goods like wood or wool. Many stories about the early families and properties in Shannons Flat are in the book Memories Before Namadgi by Daphne Curtis.

Life and Work in Shannons Flat

The main type of work in Shannons Flat is farming, mostly raising sheep and cattle.

Community Activities and Services

The local community hall is a busy place. It's used for dances, markets, and meetings for everyone in the area. A school bus service takes students from Shannons Flat to Cooma for their education.

In Cooma, there are two public primary schools: Cooma Public School and Cooma North Public School. These schools teach students from kindergarten to year 6. Monaro High School in Cooma serves older students from the town and nearby areas. There's also a Catholic school, St Patrick's Parish School, for students up to year 10. Cooma also has a private Christian school called Snowy Mountains Christian School. For further education, TAFE NSW Illawarra Institute Cooma Campus offers courses. Adaminaby also has a Public Primary School.