History
The Queanbeyan region is the traditional home of the Ngunnawal People. The first Europeans visitors to the area were led by Charles Throsby. While searching for the Murrumbidgee River in 1820, his party followed the course of the Queanbeyan River into a valley at the eastern end of the Limestone Plains near presentday Canberra.
The Queanbeyan River was the main water supply for the towns of Queanbeyan and during its early history its was an integral element to its economy. Wool scouring (cleaning) was carried out in the river near presentday Oaks Estate, formerly a part of Queanbeyan.
With a river catchment area of 920 square kilometres, the Queanbeyan River's is more than double that of the Cotter River. Prior to the construction to the Googong Dam, the river was floodprone leading to significant loss of life. During the 1976 flood the half completed Googong Dam was at risk of collapse under the weight of water behind it. In this eventuality low lying parts of Queanbeyan and Canberra would have been inundated. The Queanbeyan Cemetery was flooded, with scores of bodies washed downstream into Lake Burley Griffin.
Read more about this topic: Queanbeyan River
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Free from public debt, at peace with all the world, and with no complicated interests to consult in our intercourse with foreign powers, the present may be hailed as the epoch in our history the most favorable for the settlement of those principles in our domestic policy which shall be best calculated to give stability to our Republic and secure the blessings of freedom to our citizens.”
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)
“Bias, point of view, fury—are they ... so dangerous and must they be ironed out of history, the hills flattened and the contours leveled? The professors talk ... about passion and point of view in history as a Calvinist talks about sin in the bedroom.”
—Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973)
“Humankind has understood history as a series of battles because, to this day, it regards conflict as the central facet of life.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)