The 162 m high Talbingo dam was the last of a number of dams to be completed as part of the extensive Snowy Mountains Hydro‐electric scheme in southeastern New South Wales. During a thirteen year monitoring period prior to the filling of the reservoir in May 1971, no seismic activity had been detected in the immediate area. Three weeks after impounding commenced, the first of a long series of events was recorded. The earthquake activity was not distinguished by one main shock, but rather by several sequences, all of which included events up to magnitude 3.5. The first activity occurred in the region of the reservoir, but over a period of three years, the events migrated to a region about 5 km downstream of the damsite. Subsequent activity, whch has been sporadic to the present day, has encompassed both regions. Fault‐plane solutions indicate normal dip‐slip faulting along the line of the reservoir, and indicate that the activity could have been triggered either by the reservoir load or by an increase in pore pressure.