Timeline: ca 1902

Senators brave chilly waters of the Snowy River

Senators brave chilly waters of the Snowy River

The 'Battle of the Sites' regularly brought the parliamentarians to southern NSW, for there was a widespread belief at the time that the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Celtic intelligence could only thrive in cooler climes. This Cold Climate myth is both curious and embarrassing to us in the 21st century but it was a prevailing belief amongst Australians one hundred years ago. Here, in the Snowy River at Dalgety, a few hardy senators take the idea to an extreme.