Rebuilding on the sites of two huts destroyed in the Namadgi National Park fires in 2020 is not value for money, says the National Parks Association of the ACT. 

 NPA is also concerned that Burra Charter guidelines for heritage conservation practice were not followed when the decision to rebuild on the sites of Max and Bert’s and Demandering huts was made by the previous government in 2023, said NPA president, Dr Rosemary Hollow.

 ‘The ACT Government should therefore reconsider the decision,’ she said.

 ‘The Max and Bert’s Hut site is not easily accessible, and few people visit the area. The infrastructure and access required to build a new structure would also destroy much of the surrounding bush and affect animals in the area.

 ‘The site of Demandering Hut is just a short distance from Horse Gully Hut, which is well maintained by ACT Parks and Conservation Service, and provides emergency shelter for bushwalkers or mountain bikers’.

 ‘NPA recognises the heritage value of the former hut sites as an important part of settler history of the Canberra region. The areas are also significant to First Nations people’

‘Rather than rebuilding the huts, NPA would prefer to see their ‘stories’ shared on government websites and social media, and on signage, displays and workshops at Namadgi Visitor Centre,’ Dr Hollow said. 

 ‘Funding for new structures at a time of fiscal constraint for the ACT would not be value for money. Instead, scare resources would be better spent on adequately funding ACT Parks to continue managing our valuable parks and reserves.’

 Dr Rosemary Hollow
President, National Parks Association of the ACT

M: 0413 977 708

22 July 2025