For almost her entire life, Beth Robinson has been spending family holidays at a corrugated iron shack nestled on the banks of the Goodradigbee River.
Key points:
- Crown Lands plans to demolish nine shacks built in the 1950s and 60s due to safety concerns
- The descendants of those who built the cabins are opposing their destruction
- They argue the shacks are unique and important to the area’s history
Battles with blow flies, sun-soaked swims, and cheerful picnics were all parts of her annual trips to the primitive cabin near Wee Jasper, about 30 kilometres north-west of Canberra.
Those visits turned the area into a spiritual home for her Wollongong family, with multiple relatives having their ashes spread across the reserve.
“It was a place like no other,” Ms Robinson said.
“We came back every year for holidays and then we just played together, rested together, and laughed together.”
The shack was built by her parents in the 1950s as they regularly travelled to the region to go trout fishing.
Nine cabins were ultimately built by fishing families, and a close-knit community quickly formed by the river.
This strengthened with each summer holiday and continued as ownership of the buildings passed down through families.
So when the New South Wales’ government department Crown Lands announced it was planning to demolish the nine private shacks earlier this year, it sent waves of shock coursing across the state.
Demolition looms over safety concerns
The original fishermen did not receive approvals from the state government when they constructed the cabins on public land in the 1950s and 1960s.
After becoming aware of their existence, Crown Lands allowed the families to continue using the cabins by issuing licences for occupation.
Those permissions are now not being renewed due to concerns over the safety of the shacks and issues with using public land for private holiday accommodation.
A Crown Lands spokesperson said the cabins were in “poor to very poor condition” and the reserve was flood-prone and therefore “not suitable” for habitable buildings.
“The department intends to remove the cabins that are on Crown Land, return the site to its natural state, and make the land available for use by the wider community,” the spokesperson said.
“Submissions have closed and are currently being evaluated before a final decision is made.”
Fight to save ‘relics’ of Australia’s past
Descendants of the original owners have rallied against the demolition, arguing the cabins should be retained.
More than 500 people have signed a petition calling for the cabins to be preserved.
Beth’s Robinson’s daughter, Lisa, is one of those fighting the Crown Lands plan.
Lisa Robinson said an application for the shacks to be heritage-listed had been submitted, and she called on the state government to hold off until it had been assessed.
“The shacks are a bit like a living museum, which is actually still operational,” she said.
“They’re an example of how people used to have holidays in the old days — like relics from the past.”
Lisa Robinson also argued the area was not prone to flooding and said a builder’s report found the shacks were “suitable” for their current purpose.
She said the state government should consider the unique nature of the riverside community and their close connection to the land.
“For each shack … there are generations of experience and relationship to the place and to each other,” Ms Robinson said.
“The same kids I knew growing up, now I see them here with their kids and their grandkids.”
Destruction would ‘devastate’ families
Dianne Orlandi’s father built her family’s shack after falling in love with the area, which reminded him of Scotland’s rolling hills.
Ms Orlandi was always conscious of the fact leases were only being granted on a temporary basis, but never expected the shacks to be destroyed.
“For about 80 years, all of our family has been coming here and they all find it really special,” she said.
“I’m a bit devastated to think it’s all going to end.”
Col Cullen owned a similar shack at the nearby Micalong Reserve, which was brought down by Crown Lands in 1988.
He said the demolition was a huge blow to his family and he would hate to see it happen to others.
“I see these other poor people here … suffering from the same possible fate,” Mr Cullen said.
“It’s just going to be devastating, and I can vouch for that.”
Beth Robinson said, for her family, losing the shack would be like a tree losing its roots.
She questioned why the state government would want to remove its own history.
“These corrugated iron shacks, they stand on a very small parcel of land but they make a big statement about what life was like,” she said.
“I think we’re short-sighted in recognising that sometimes it’s worth preserving some of our history.”