The Snowy Mountains Scheme
An information text about one of Australia’s biggest engineering projects, with eight questions on facts, viewpoints and summarising.
Read the passage
A huge idea
In the 1940s, much of inland Australia was dry. On the other side of the Great Dividing Range, the Snowy River tumbled to the sea. It begins high on the slopes near Mount Kosciuszko, and most of its water was not being used for farming. Engineers had a big idea: what if they sent some of that water through the mountains?
Building the Scheme
Construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme began in 1949 and took 25 years. When it was finished in 1974, it included 16 major dams, seven power stations and about 145 kilometres of tunnels drilled through the mountains. Workers blasted the tunnels out of hard rock, often deep underground, through bitter alpine winters of deep snow and freezing winds. The water now flows west into the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers, helping farms far inland, and it also generates electricity on the way.
People from many lands
More than 100,000 people worked on the Scheme, and about two-thirds of them came from overseas. They came from more than 30 countries, including Italy, Germany and Norway. Many lived in remote camps and towns in the cold mountains, working side by side with people who spoke different languages. Two towns, Adaminaby and Jindabyne, were even moved to new sites so that their valleys could be flooded to make lakes. A lot of the workers stayed in Australia afterwards and made their homes here.
A mixed legacy
Today, the Scheme still makes electricity for homes and businesses. It has been called one of the engineering wonders of the modern world. However, diverting so much water changed the Snowy River itself, and in recent years more water has been released back into the river. People still discuss how to share water fairly between farms, electricity and nature.
Answer the questions
- In which year did construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme begin? (1 mark)
- Give two things that the Snowy Mountains Scheme included when it was finished. (2 marks)
- The text says the Snowy River “tumbled to the sea.” What does the word “tumbled” suggest about the river? (1 mark)
- Why was the Scheme built? Use evidence from the text. (2 marks)
- The text says people worked “side by side with people who spoke different languages.” What does this suggest about the people who worked there? (2 marks)
- Quote the sentence from the last section that shows the Scheme had a downside. Use quotation marks. (2 marks)
- The last section is called “A mixed legacy.” What do you think “mixed” means here? Use the text to explain. (2 marks)
- Summarise the text in three sentences. Include why the Scheme was built, who built it, and what it changed. (3 marks)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. 1949. (1 mark)
Finding information. A fact to find in the second section.
2. Any two of: 16 major dams; seven power stations; about 145 kilometres of tunnels. (2 marks)
Finding information. Collecting facts from one sentence.
3. It flowed quickly and roughly, falling over rocks and down slopes. (1 mark)
Word meaning. Understanding what a descriptive verb shows.
4. To send water from the Snowy River west to the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers to help farms inland, and to make electricity. (2 marks)
Explaining from the text. Linking the problem and the solution in the text.
5. They had to cooperate and work together even though they came from many different countries and cultures. (2 marks)
Inference. Working out what a phrase suggests about the people involved.
6. “However, diverting so much water changed the Snowy River itself, and in recent years more water has been released back into the river.” (2 marks)
Quoting from the text. Choosing the sentence that proves a point and copying it exactly.
7. Some results were good and some were not: the Scheme brought water and electricity, but it also changed the river. (2 marks)
Word meaning. Working out a word from the details in the paragraph.
8. One point each for: why (to send water from the Snowy River to dry inland farms and make electricity); who (more than 100,000 workers from over 30 countries); what it changed (water for farms and power, a changed river, and many workers who stayed and made their homes in Australia). (3 marks)
Summarising. A strong summary covers the main ideas from every section.
What this practises
Finding information, Word meaning, Explaining from the text, Inference, Quoting from the text, Summarising. This sheet links to Comprehension Strategies (AC9E5LY05). Schools and states deliver the Australian Curriculum (version 9) in different ways, so check what your child's school uses. Marks and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Imagine you are a young worker who has just arrived at a Snowy Mountains camp from another country. Write a letter home.
Aim for eight to twelve sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
Want feedback on your child's own writing?
You mark the worksheet yourself with the answer key. LiteracyLab AI is different: it reads what your child has written and gives specific feedback, such as what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their year. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.
More Year 5 worksheets
Free to print and copy for your own family or classroom. Please do not sell or republish. The passage and questions were written for LiteracyLab AI.