Aerial view from the east immediately prior to commencement of construction of Hydro Kurri Kurri Ltd, 7 Dec 1977
Photos of Kurri Hydro
The aluminium plant at Kurri Kurri, owned by Alcan, began operations in 1969, and was acquired by Hydro in 2002. The smelter was a significant employer for the community, employing around 500 people at the time of its closure. [Source: Wikipedia]
Sadly, Hydro Kurri Kurri ceased production in October 2012 and was permanently closed in 2014.
However, photos of earlier days have been preserved in an album donated by Hydro to the Coalfields Heritage Group, and their digitisation enables us to revisit this time. You can see them on our Living Histories @ UON site.