The ACT government promised to rebuild, but these huts in Namadgi National Park remain in ruins

Australia Broadcast Center

12-07-2025

Deep in the heart of Namadgi National Park, the bush is coming back to life.
But two heritage huts destroyed when 80 per cent of the park burned in the Black Summer bushfires remain in ruins, despite government promises to rebuild.
Demandering Hut and Max and Bert Oldfields Hut were destroyed during the 2020 Orroral Valley Fire.
The ACT government promised two new huts in remembrance of the originals in 2023, after 90 per cent of respondents during public consultation voted to rebuild them.
The new huts will sit near the old, so visitors can see the ruins alongside the replica.
Across the border, the NSW government and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have rebuilt 10 huts destroyed during the same period in Kosciuszko National Park.
But there is no evidence of progress at the two huts in the ACT's jurisdiction.
Since retiring five years ago, Greg Buckman from the Canberra Bushwalking Club has visited around 80 of the more than 200 historical huts scattered throughout the Australian high country — including the two awaiting work.
"It's disappointing. In the five years since the fire, all of the huts in Kosciuszko have been rebuilt … and yet nothing's happened to Demandering Hut or Max and Bert's Hut," Mr Buckman said.
Standing at the fenced-off ruins of Demandering Hut, observing the burnt stone chimney and charred corrugated iron, Mr Buckman feels the loss.
"It's obviously a complete wreck," Mr Buckman said.
"It's definitely sad seeing it like this and also sad knowing that it's been like this for five years now.
"It had lots of character, for sure."
Grazier Bill Cotter built Demandering Hut — named after his homestead — in the 1940s. It was a corrugated iron and timber hut with a stone fireplace and a water tank.
Built in 1967, Max and Bert Oldfields Hut was another simple, corrugated iron building.
It sat undisturbed for around 40 years before oral historian Matthew Higgins rediscovered it in 1990. At the time, Mr Higgins described finding a time capsule of personal items in the hut.
Mr Buckman said half of the heritage structures in the Australian Alps have been lost since WWII.
"That alone justifies the rebuilding of huts like Demandering," he said.
"They're like little museums in the middle of the wilderness.
"You're taken through this time tunnel back to times before the Second World War.
"They're history. They're heritage. They're reminders of a bygone era."
The huts can be lifesaving, too.
In January, missing hiker Hadi Nazari survived being lost in Kosciuszko National Park by eating only two muesli bars, found in Opera House Hut.
While the ACT government agrees the huts should be recreated, the work, announced in October 2023, doesn't appear to be happening.
In a statement, an ACT government spokesperson said archaeological and heritage assessments were underway at the two sites to inform the next stages of the project.
But heritage consultant and Kosciuszko Huts Association (KHA) member Geoff Ashley said the building could start at the same time as the heritage assessment, and Parks ACT could be doing more.
"By all means start the archaeological work, but [push through] the documentation of the new huts," Mr Ashley said.
Mr Ashley wrote the rule book around heritage restorations.
After the 2003 Canberra fires destroyed 20 huts in the high country, he was tasked with creating a conservation strategy, including a method for rebuilding huts.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service followed Mr Ashley's methodology during their recent rebuilds.
"They can get on with the project," Mr Ashley said.
Mr Ashley said KHA volunteers have also encountered issues while trying to carry out essential maintenance on other huts in the ACT.
He said Parks ACT had established a "complex process of approval to do any work" on the huts, meaning "some of the places are going backwards a bit".
"In NSW, the community is benefiting. The community is involved in using and maintaining the huts … which keeps the heritage values going."
Mr Ashley said ultimately, it's those who frequent Namadgi National Park that miss out.
"It's not just about rebuilding huts. It's about connecting to the community … that's what's missing in the ACT," he said.
"That connection isn't happening.