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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Natalie Vikhrov

Two new huts will be 'tribute' to Namadgi's destroyed history

Two new stockman huts will be built in Namadgi National Park as a "tribute" to the heritage-listed Demandering Hut and Max and Bert Oldfield's Hut, which were destroyed in a bushfire.

The ACT government on Monday announced it would build the two new structures near the original hut sites after consulting with the community and receiving more than 800 submissions in response to its proposal.

Heritage Minister Rebecca Vassarotti said more than 90 percent of the responses backed the proposal.

She said the projects "represent the relentless will of our community to rebuild in the face of adversity".

"They stand not only as a tribute to what was lost, but as a testament to the universalising nature of our shared heritage," Ms Vassarotti said.

Bushwalkers at Demandering Hut in 2013. Picture: Matthew Higgins

The government will also build an archival record that tells the story of the original two sites.

"The project will bring together family and caretaker site knowledge with built heritage specialist and archaeological investigation, to build a single archival record that communicates the story of each original hut place," Ms Vassarotti said.

"As part of the Historic Huts project, we will be engaging with First Nations people to include their stories of culture and occupation in the interpretive designs and construction of the new sites."

Minister for Planning and Land Management Mick Gentleman said the huts would be built in a way that reduced the risk of fire damage to the new structures and provided shelter for bushwalkers during poor weather.

"The government will also progress the development of a new Conservation Management Plan to protect and preserve the former sites of the huts that burned down, managing them as historical ruins," he said.

Earlier, the ACT Heritage Council opposed the rebuild of the two huts.

Demandering Hut was built in 1945 by Bill Cotter and Jack Simpson, a great grandson of Garrett Cotter.

Cousins Max and Bert Oldfield built Max and Bert Oldfield's Hut in 1967.

The Orroral Valley bushfire burnt more than 80 per cent of Namadgi National Park in 2020, including the two huts.

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