Thanks to her creative prowess, Tumut High School student Monica Brimmer’s name will adorn the newest, and fourth, Snowy Hydro 2.0 tunnel boring machine. Monica is pictured with her mother Julie. Photo: Snowy Hydro.
When Tumut High School student Monica Brimmer put brush to paper for an Indigenous art and storytelling competition, she never imagined her work would see her name etched into the history of one of Australia’s biggest infrastructure projects.
The 15-year-old’s winning design has earned her the honour of having a Snowy 2.0 tunnel boring machine (TBM) named after her.
Drawing inspiration from flowing water, interconnected dams, mountains, energy, an underground power station, and her connection to Country, Monica said her artwork represented the creation of renewable energy and symbolised a, “greener future in which the land and our animals are better cared for”.
The win – announced at a special assembly in front of her classmates – caught her completely off guard.
“When my name was read out, I felt nervous and surprised but also really proud,” she said. “I had hoped to win the competition but I really didn’t expect it.
“Knowing there’s something really important to the project out there with my name, in the mountains, is really cool,” she said.
An aspiring engineer, Monica said the contest allowed her to blend creativity with her career ambitions.
“I’ve been interested in engineering for quite a while – and it’s pretty cool to put art and engineering together as part of something I could put my mind to,” she said.
The competition encouraging young Indigenous students to share their stories through art, was run by Snowy Hydro in partnership with the Stars Foundation and Tumut High School.
Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said it was fitting the next TBM carried the name of a local student who represented the next generation.
“Snowy 2.0 is a nation-building project and it’s fitting its next tunnel boring machine will carry the name and vision of a young local student and future engineer,” he said.
Monica’s winning artwork. Photo: Snowy Hydro.
The fourth TBM is no ordinary addition.
Snowy Hydro confirmed the machine was commissioned after more detailed ground testing revealed a complex fault zone along the 17 km headrace tunnel route.
At 178 metres long and nearly 12 metres wide – roughly the size of a 50-storey skyscraper laid flat – the Herrenknecht machine has passed factory acceptance testing and been purpose-built to excavate a five km tunnel through the challenging Long Plain Fault Zone.
That tunnel will connect Tantangara Reservoir with an underground power station nearly one km below the surface.
Chief Delivery Officer for Snowy 2.0, Dave Evans, said Monica’s design captured the technical and symbolic purpose of the project.
“Monica’s artwork and the story behind it blew all the judges away,” he said.
“The lightbulb shines bright and displays the power that we’re going to generate for the east coast of Australia through Snowy 2.0’s huge 2200MW capacity.
“It also perfectly highlights our workforce who are almost one km underground in the Snowy Mountains building one of the world’s biggest power stations,” Mr Evans said.
Tumut High School principal Brad Taylor said the calibre of entrants in the competition was exceptional.
“Monica is a highly academic student, and someone that we’re very proud of at the school, so I’m not surprised she’s produced such thoughtful artwork,” he said.
Stars Foundation program coordinator Nioka Marlowe said the initiative showcased students’ talents and gave them a voice.
“This made clear to these young Indigenous girls that they’re important – and they’re seen – and gave them an opportunity to be on the big stage,” she said.
Snowy Hydro 2.0’s fleet of tunnel boring machines already includes TBM Florence (named after Florence Violet McKenzie, Australia’s first female electrical engineer), excavating the 17 km headrace tunnel; TBM Lady Eileen Hudson (named after the wife of the first Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Authority, Sir William Hudson), advancing the main access and tailrace tunnels to Talbingo Reservoir; and TBM Kirsten (named after pioneering Australian aviator Dr Kirsten Banks, a Wiradjuri astrophysicist), completing the emergency, cable and ventilation tunnel.
The new TBM, which will bear Monica’s name, will soon be transported for assembly at the Marica worksite near Yarrangobilly Caves ahead of tunnelling starting in late 2025.
Together, the four machines will carve more than 27 km of tunnels through the Snowy Mountains.
Snowy 2.0 is around 60 per cent complete and the extra TBM is expected to keep the $12 billion project on schedule, with first power expected by late 2027 and full completion by December 2028.
