‘Not like there's a Mitre 10 down the road': The mission to rebuild Kosciuszko's famous huts
In January, hiker Hadi Nazari, 23, survived nearly two weeks in the mountains, helped by two muesli bars he reportedly found in one of the 60 mountain huts.
Now, 10 heritage huts destroyed by bushfires in 2019-20 have been rebuilt, with the completion of Round Mountain Hut last month. It was a community effort by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the latest generation of families, like the Bradleys and the O'Briens, who built and used the huts, and the conservation group the Kosciuszko Huts Association.
NPWS project officer Megan Bowden said the huts, which date back to the 1870s, had saved many a life in the mountains. 'One minute it can be sunny, the next it can be a whiteout,' she said. 'People will ski and walk to these huts as a visitor destination, but they also provide a good shelter in bad weather.'
The huts were also like 'little living museums' of the area's history. Bowden said they represented the many different uses of the land, 'ranging from the early graziers to timber getters, prospectors and the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, and then later those who built them for use for skiing and walking in the area'.
Each hut had been built in its own style and from local materials – and rebuilt in that style after the fires, some using timber milled from burnt trees that had fallen nearby.
'So there are river stone huts down at Geehi on the Murray Valley, the log cabins at Pretty Plains and Vickerys Hut, and the split slab hut of Cascade Hut and Oldfields,' she said.
After visiting Four Mile Hut, built in 1932, Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe said it was wonderful that the hut had been brought back to life just metres from its charred remains.
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ABC News
04-08-2025
- ABC News
Former outback station Thurloo Downs nears opening as NSW national park
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The Advertiser
04-07-2025
- The Advertiser
One in five crashes: why drivers are urged to take care in school holidays
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In the 2024 Christmas holidays, police said heavy holiday traffic was expected across Heatherbrae, Hexham and Beresfield. The M1 extension to Raymond Terrace, which has caused backed-up traffic on Hunter roads, was expected to be completed by 2028. Traffic and Highway Patrol commander Assistant Commissioner David Driver said wet weather could contribute to serious crashes. "Drivers need to be aware of the risks when travelling in wet and snowing conditions, with black ice a serious hazard on our roads at this time of year," Mr Driver said. A dusting of snow fell on the Barrington Tops this week as severe weather bombarded the east coast of Australia. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service warned driving conditions were hazardous due to the combination of wind and wet conditions. He said drivers should take extra care, reduce their speed and focus when heading off on road trips. 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Local legend Lenny Wilton died after being hit by a car outside his Awaba home, and in a separate incident, a 38-year-old woman died in a two-car crash in Fennell Bay.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
An outdoor influencer rallied against higher camping fees. 23,000 people responded
Crook said Parks Victoria had been starved of funding for years, including a $95 million cut last year, and the free booking system imposed a burden on rangers. 'They'd have to monitor the campsites more than they were, and then sometimes it was turning into fisticuffs, when people didn't turn up, but people still camped in their spots,' Crook said. 'There were a lot of issues, a lot of dumped rubbish, fires left alone, and the potential for bush fires. It looked good on paper, but in action with a park service that's so degraded and not looked after by the state, it was always going to fall in a heap.' NSW has 360 campsites in national parks, as well as free camping in state forests managed by Forestry Corporation of NSW. In NSW, the online backlash has centred on whether the fees for national parks are too high. While the proposal would introduce a free tier for a bare patch of earth, a basic campsite with a pit toilet would be $22 a night in high season, while sites with the most facilities – including a hot shower – would be $89 a night. Atkinson, an outdoor creator whose video posts on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube have garnered millions of views, has been campaigning against the price rises. Now that submissions have closed, he has switched to pushing an online petition. Atkinson acknowledged that ghost bookings are a big issue – a video he posted in July last year showed a campground in Kosciuszko National Park that was booked out, yet had four out of five sites empty – but said making camping unaffordable was not the way to fix it. He recently posted a video about how the price to pitch a tent at Woody Head campground in Bundjalung National Park was more expensive than renting a three-bedroom house in the nearby town. Atkinson said only about 30 per cent of campgrounds had a booking system before the COVID-19 pandemic, while most were free and first come, first served. NPWS expanded the booking system to cover every campsite as a pandemic measure, though keeping prices for the formerly free locations low. Like in Victoria, the ease of online reservations increased 'ghost bookings'. 'They didn't have a ghost booking problem before COVID happened,' Atkinson said. 'The only way to make a booking system work is to make it expensive – but, if you do that, you block out anyone below middle income, and young people are just going to be completely discouraged, so that is a very poor solution.' He said it would be better for the basic campsites to be free, without a booking system – a proposal NPWS argues would encourage people to physically block out campsites by erecting tents early. Atkinson said the practical hurdles kept this problem in check, and added that NPWS should expand campsite capacity to meet demand anyway. Former NPWS park ranger Louisa Andersen, who posts content online as 'Ranger Louie' and is now based in Western Australia, said she had concerns about the prices. 'How are people meant to care about the environment and parks and natural places if they can't afford to experience it?' Andersen said. 'Rangers don't get discounts either … and I just can't wrap my head around or justify paying that much.' Sergey Kolotsey of Baulkham Hills made a submission proposing to solve the ghost booking problem without raising fees by asking people to pay a deposit that would be refunded if they checked in using a QR code at the campsite. Loading The NSW National Parks Association submission recommended merging the lower pricing tiers, since the costs of managing a wholly unserviced site, sites with pit toilets, and sites with pit toilets and a table were all minimal. The non-government organisation expressed surprise that there was no benchmarking of best practice across the nation, since many bushwalkers and campers travel from state to state. 'Queensland and South Australia have simplified their fee structure and remain competitive with regional caravan parks,' the submission says.
