NPWS adopts radical way to protect assets as toll reveals loss
An assessment of fire-ravaged national parks has revealed a “significant’ number of historic assets were destroyed in the blazes, with the National Parks and Wildlife Service now looking at radical ways to protect what’s left. SEE THE LIST
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Giant shields of foil have been wrapped around historic alpine huts and homesteads in the Snowy Mountains in a desperate bid to save the remaining cottages from bushfires.
As many as 14 huts built by stockmen and early gold prospectors have already been lost in the fires, along with bridges, lookouts and an old settlement site. The National Parks and Wildlife Service described the replacement cost as “significant”.
Assessment teams last week began inspecting the damage, with the heritage-listed Kiandra Courthouse among the most significant losses.
Built in the 1890s, the refurbished building was reduced to a pile of rubble after the Dunns Road blaze tore through what was the Snowy Mountains goldmining region.
The Kiandra fire also destroyed Matthews Cottage, a three-roomed hut built in the early 1900s, and Pattinsons House.
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Other alpine huts to have been damaged or destroyed include Delanys, Vickerys and Happys huts as well as Sawyers Rest House and Wolgal Lodge.
While Brooks Hut is still standing, it is badly damaged.
Round Mountain, Bradley and O’Briens and Four Mile huts were also razed.
With the bushfires still burning in the region, some of the other 120 huts in the park deemed at risk were being shrouded in fireproof material.
While the foil will not protect against the full force of a fire, it is hoped it will guard against ember attack.
Among the cottages and huts to be wrapped last week included the heritage-listed Currango Homsetead.
Built in 1895, the homestead was part of a pastoral station before eventually becoming tourist accommodation.
As well as foiling, backburning has also been undertaken to protect other significant structures such as Witzes Huts, together with bulldozed containment lines.
For the town of Cabramurra in Kosciuszko National Park, the works were too late with fire significantly damaging the Snowy Hydro worker homes.
Over at Jenolan Caves, three cottages were destroyed in a backburning operation that almost took out the entire tourist site.
Cottage 3, Cottage 11 and Cavers Cottage were among the casualties in the blaze.
A historic hut located in Crowdy Bay National Park near Port Macquarie where the late Australian author Kylie Tennant lived during World War II was also destroyed, together with timber walking bridges and toilets.
A tourist walking track and lookout in Ben Boyd National Park was among scores of tourism facilities that have been damaged beyond repair.
A historic settlement site at Lake Innes Nature Reserve in Port Macquarie was also damaged.
A National Parks spokesman said the estimated cost of the damage was yet to be finalised but “is expected to be significant”.
He said an inspection was underway to “more thoroughly” determine the impacts of the fires.
“A range of protection measures have been put in place for the protection of historic structures,” he said.
“National parks are important to local and regional communities and their economies.
“While the current focus is to put the fires out, we are acutely aware of the need to be able to ensure our parks are accessible as soon as possible.”
Once a fire was out, priority was given to making areas safe, replacing critical infrastructure and then reopening as quickly as possible, he said.
Many areas in fire-affected parks had already reopened, including in the North Coast, Northern Tablelands and the Blue Mountains, he said.
It was now working on areas affected by fire on the south coast, with the goal to be to have the “majority of high use sites” repaired as quickly as possible.