Snowy riverThe Snowy Mountains are part of the Australian Alps. The Australian Alps started forming about 860-400 million years ago by different marine sediments when south-eastern Australia was covered by the sea.

By Jessica Phillips

• Ancient rocks have been folded and uplifted many times by natural forces before they reach their current height. Later, the land that formed the Australian Alps was flattened by erosion which wore away the land by wind, water or ice.

• The snowy river system has several different wild life types, on the banks you can often spot many different animals which include plenty of deer, sheep, rabbits,

kangaroos and random brumbies hovering around the river edges.

In October and November, after the snow has melted, different types of wildflowers cover the mountains slopes. Plants like mountain plum pine, different types of mosses and snow gums are also common for this area. Different plants of the area act like sponges, retaining water from rain and melting snow. These plants also help to prevent erosion and keep the mountain slopes moist.

• Kinds of habitat along the edges of the river include, rocky banks, and sandy shores. There is a lot of grass that leads to the river, which is more then often a farming area backing onto the river. Its quite a stretch of a river to see a variety of different habitats along the river.

• There’s a part in the snowy river that is called the gauge. The gauge is where the river closes in, this made the snowy very narrow, and steep looking. Apart from the gauge the snowy river doesn’t really include any other major cliffs.

• The type of water that flows through the snowy river is quite calm, however, the snowy can get a little rough at times as the rocks that have been fallen from previous floods have caused little and large rapids. The snowy doesn’t include many waves, although some of the rapids are so big, this would make only a few waves,

nothing major.