Grave Invaders at Old Adaminaby

Introduction

Grave invaders at Old Adaminaby are digging tunnels up to 30 metres long. Who are they?

Grave Invaders at Old Adaminaby Offer No Peace for Mountain Pioneers

Burrowing wombats are disturbing the peace of our mountain pioneers in the Old Adaminaby Cemetery. Wombats are making some of the graves their home. These grave invaders weighing between 30 and 40 kilograms, bear-like in appearance with four stumpy legs are not the sort of squatters the old pioneers in these graves knew.

While ‘history snooping’ around the old cemetery looking for the young bush horseman people claim is the ‘real’ Man from Snowy River I nearly slipped into a wombat hole and nearly came close to death, so to speak.

The Wisdom of Wombats

A group of wombats is called a “Wisdom of Wombats”.  In their wisdom Old Adaminaby wombats decided the hallowed cemetery ground is a safe, secure and peaceful haven for their 30 metre long burrows. Not so peaceful however for the long standing permanent residents. Wombats are today giving new meaning to the ‘digging up’ of local history in Old Adaminaby.

 

 

 

 

Old Adaminaby Nice Place for a Cemetery

Early settlers chose the cemetery location with great foresight. It was never in danger of being flooded in 1957 when the Eucumbene River was dammed and the Lake created as part of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectricity Scheme. Located on a hill and now overlooking Lake Eucumbene, the cemetery is five metres above the high watermark.  The old cemetery in Jindabyne wasn’t so fortunate.  When the Snowy River was dammed creating Lake Jindabyne as part of the Snowy Scheme cemetery occupants were disinterred and relocated to a new resting place.

Old Adaminaby Cemetery residents may have avoided their peace being threatened by water in 1957 but today their peace is threatened by burrowing wombats.

Grave Invaders at old Adaminaby Cute and Cuddly?

Beware. Wombats might look cute and cuddly but they have rat-like teeth and powerful digging claws. They can also charge and run at 40 kilometres per hour over a short distance.

Is It A Ghost?

If you ever wander about the Old Adaminaby Cemetery at night and hear a growl, a hoarse cough, a grunt or a low groan, it won’t be the ghost of a wild bush horseman but the sound of a resident wombat.

The Man from Snowy River

I did find the grave I was looking for.  Is this the real Man from Snowy River resting in the Old Adaminaby Cemetery?

3 October 2019