When bushwalker Steve Glaznieks of Ngunnawal was flicking through the dusty 1941 Brindabella field books of surveyor Colonel J.T.H. Goodwin, he could hardly believe his eyes.
There, on the final page, among neatly drawn contours and survey notes, were five words that stopped him in his tracks: Proposed site for skating lake.
It was more than a distraction for Steve who was researching axial lines of the ACT when he stumbled upon the ice skating reference on the "Tolkien-esque map".
Using topographic maps and his extensive knowledge of the rugged terrain of the Brindabellas, Steve identified the proposed location as Snowy Flat Creek, just below Mount Gingera.
"I was surprised that someone must have thought there was sufficient water and cold to warrant such a facility," Steve says.
Today, damming a creek for ice skating in the Brindabellas sounds far-fetched. However, artificial skating lakes already existed in other Australian alpine regions. For example, Lake Catani was created in 1910 at Mt Buffalo Resort in Victoria, and a purpose-built skating lake was created on Diggers Creek at Hotel Kosciusko (adjacent to the current Sponars Chalet) between Jindabyne and Perisher Valley in 1909.
In fact, by the 1920s and 1930s, photographs of elegantly dressed skaters gliding across these frozen lakes had become iconic images of high-country tourism. The popularity of these images undoubtedly inspired others to dream of similar attractions elsewhere.
"The skating lake at Hotel Kosciusko would surely have been an inspiration for those who dreamed of a skating lake in the Brindabellas," high-country historian Matthew Higgins suggested when I discussed Goodwin's map with him earlier this week.
Further, it was a time when winters in the Brindabellas were considerably colder (and snowier) than they are today. Canberra's skiing community was growing, and the Mt Franklin Ski Chalet had opened just a few years earlier in 1938. For local enthusiasts, the prospect of skating close to Canberra must have seemed highly attractive.
However, the ice skating dream can be traced back even earlier.
In Skis on the Brindabellas (Tabletop Press, 1994), Higgins reported that in 1935, five club members of Canberra Alpine Club walked for three days through the wilds of the Brindabellas, primarily in search of potential ski and hotel locations, but ice skating was clearly also on their radar.
Shortly afterwards, Joy Harvie, one member of the expedition, penned an article for The Canberra Times, in which she was upbeat about the potential for development at Ginini Flats, an area only a few kilometres from Mt Gingera and Snowy Flat Creek.
"Excellent slopes ran down to the flats, while the flats themselves could rather imaginatively be dammed to form a lake," Joy wrote. "Imagine a hotel here amongst such glorious scenery, and the facilities for sport which it undoubtedly offers."
Clearly hoping that the road might one day extend to Ginini Flats and beyond, she continued (using the early pronunciation of the word skiing).
"What fun for the future Franklin Road holds in store, when it is at last completed and brings scenic views of mountains and deep gullies to tourists and Canberra people, as well as a shi-ing and skating ground..."
That Goodwin subsequently identifies the site of a potential ice skating lake in his 1941 survey suggests the idea had gained momentum, even in official circles, Matthew says.
So, why didn't it eventuate?
"No doubt the Second World War delayed any action on the plan, and it is likely that post-war growth of Canberra's population meant any manipulation of Cotter catchment water supply [as would have occurred had the lake been built] would not have been welcomed by officialdom," Matthew explains.
"It was catchment concerns that played a major role in ending the RMC Duntroon ski lodge in 1969 which was built at Mt Ginini," he further explains.
While we never ended up with an ice skating lake in the Brindabellas, that hasn't stopped adventurous wannabe skaters seeking out frozen water in the NSW Snowies. I've heard many a yarn around a campfire of Snowy Hydro workers skating on frozen dams near Cabramurra during the 1950s and 1960s, and others trying their luck on Three Mile Dam near Kiandra, a former gold-mining dam built by Chinese miners in 1882.
Last year after I published a photo in this column of the partially frozen Guthega pondage above Guthega Dam, I was surprised to receive several reports of historical "skating" attempts.
"About 40 years ago after mum told me not to, I tossed a couple of boulders on [the frozen Guthega Dam] first, just to check...," Warwick Bryan wrote.
"I skated on frozen Spencer's Creek on a June long weekend in the 1970s," boldly revealed Toivo Rosenvald.
I didn't canvass for reports of ice skating in the ACT, but Goodwin's 1941 field book provides an insight into a long-forgotten vision for our beloved Brindabellas and what could have been.
Have you ice skated on a frozen lake in our high country? If so, I'd love to hear from you.
Safety note: While outdoor ice skating has a colourful history in Australia's alpine regions, frozen lakes, dams and streams can be extremely dangerous. Ice thickness can vary significantly across a single body of water and may be weakened by flowing water beneath the surface. Authorities generally advise against venturing onto natural ice, and skating is prohibited at some locations. Historical accounts in this column should not be taken as an endorsement of attempting to skate on frozen waterways today.
Long before Australians had the chance to skate on real ice, roller skating was hugely popular. From the 1860s, roller rinks appeared in towns and cities across the country. Many were decorated with painted alpine scenes and winter-themed backdrops, offering a glimpse of the snowy world most Australians knew only from books and postcards.
Diggers Creek, NSW: Between 1910 and 1950 ice skating was a popular pastime on the lake in front of Hotel Kosciuszko. When the lake was too crowded, guests were directed up river to Rainbow Lake, the hotel's water supply. While the destruction of the hotel in a fire in 1951 ended the golden era of skating at the hotel's lakes, their icy waters continue to attract adventurers, just of a different kind. "It's just me and the fish down there, I love it," reveals Brett Smith of Jindabyne, who occasionally ventures beneath the partially frozen surface with scuba gear.
Tasmania: Unlike on the mainland, where skaters relied largely on artificial lakes, skaters in the Apple Isle took advantage of naturally occurring highland lakes and tarns. In the 1920s, University of Tasmania students reportedly held torchlit dances on a frozen tarn near their chalet in Mount Field National Park. Pine Lake on the Central Plateau still freezes during particularly cold winters, occasionally tempting adventurous ice skaters.
Lake Catani, Victoria. Ice skating peaked at this resort lake prior to the 1970s, and the death knell was well and truly sounded when in 1997, despite the lake being closed, champion speed skater Eddie Spicer decided to skate it one more time. Once Australia's premier natural skating venue and only long-track speed-skating location, the lake had become increasingly unreliable as winters warmed. Eddie fell through thin ice and drowned. Today, skating remains prohibited at Lake Catani.
Rating: Medium
Clue: Dig it up!
How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to tym@iinet.net.au. The first correct email received after 10am, Saturday August 1 wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.
Last week: Congratulations to Peter Stevenson of MacArthur who was first to correctly identify last week's photo as a Four Mile Hut, near Kiandra. The photo was taken by Bill Crawshaw in 1977, 40 years after miner and bushman Robert Hughes built it from timber slabs and recycled materials from the Elaine Mine. Destroyed by bushfire in 2020, it was rebuilt by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and dedicated volunteers in 2024. Oh, and well done to everyone who nailed last week's clue of "6.44" - that's four miles in kilometres.
Several readers were surprised by the photo of a road sign on '90 Mile Straight', Australia's longest straight road, that recently featured in this column.
"That photo must have been taken a few years ago as the sign is sadly now plastered with stickers and hardly readable," writes Jane Black of Moss Vale. Jane is correct, the photo that appeared in this column was taken in 2018 by traveller Broderick Matthews.
A few years back, road authorities had a similar sticker problem in Nevada with their Extraterrestrial (ET) Highway sign. Their solution? They raised it. Now even aliens can't reach it to leave a calling card. Maybe that's what they need to do with the outback sign?
CONTACT TIM: Email: tym@iinet.net.au or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, GPO Box 606, Civic, ACT, 2601
