Inspiration comes in many guises. It can be found in the worst of circumstances – the community response to the recent tragic flooding in Queensland and NSW for example (p20), or the life saving work of the RFDS, whose fly-in clinics ensured an early cancer diagnosis for children’s author and pastoralist Anna Nunn (p82). Elsewhere it is clothed in the commitment of individuals such as Fi Baird to their industries (p94), or gleaned from the natural beauty of places like the Sapphire Coast (p114).
On another level again is the inspirational power of massive nation-building endeavours. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Overland Telegraph Line (p108). It stretched for almost 3000km from Port Augusta to Palmerston following much of Stuart’s 1863 epic transcontinental route, and helped reduce communication times between Britain and Australia from months to hours.
The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric scheme of the 1950s and ’60s was another such undertaking. Viewed with scepticism by many at the time (and since), it nevertheless has had a lasting impact on Australia. It was inspiring. The influence of the multicultural labour force, the economic impact of the capital investment, even the introduction of the Toyota LandCruiser to Australia (p125), have all been felt in the intervening decades.
It was also the incubator for the subject of our Outback story: Snowy Hydro 2.0 (p42). There are those who say the modern scheme launched by the Turnbull
Government in 2017 is a $10 billion white elephant scratched out as an exercise in political distraction, and that there are far cheaper, less destructive means of generating and storing power. Others say it is a vital link in the very necessary uncoupling from fossil fuel reliance and a provider and repository of system-changing renewable energy.
I do not know – I am no expert. But I am inspired by the sheer scope of the vision and ambition. Associate editor Ken Eastwood’s story takes us to the Snowies and into the workings of the scheme at a human level. He talks with the people on the ground, both advocates and detractors. Ken distils the complex history and hopes of the project in a way that renders it understandable and digestible.
Irrespective of whether it is a good idea or not, it is inspiring. It reinforces in me the belief that if we stretch beyond our reach, we’ll find ourselves grasping things we might never otherwise have touched.

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NitroFlare

• PC Gamer UK – May 2022
• NEO Magazine – Issue 218 – April 2022