In mid October 1949 a ceremony was held near old Adaminaby, in a deep gorge on the Eucumbene River, where the Governor General, Sir William McKell, set off an explosive charge in the presence of the Prime Minister, Ben Chifley, Sir William Hudson, (later to become the first commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority), and other dignitaries and their wives. 1,200 guests attended the ceremony, including nearly everyone from the old town. The site was near the proposed dam wall where a commemorative plaque was erected.