Photos
Created by Copilot AI and may not be accurate. Awaiting review
| Built | 1903 (rebuilt 1993 after 1991 fire) |
| Condition | ★★★★☆ (rebuilt; dry and weatherproof) |
| Location | Alpine National Park, VIC – near Kellys Track, GR323186 |
| Alternate Names | Fitzgerald’s Hut |
| 1903 | Original hut built by George Fitzgerald for cattle grazing |
| 1928 | Shingle roof replaced with corrugated iron |
| 1991 | Original hut destroyed by chimney fire during school camp |
| 1993 | Rebuilt by Wallangarra Youth Group using railway sleepers |
Fitzgerald Hut was originally built in 1903 by George Silas Fitzgerald, a cattleman from Shannon Vale near Omeo. The hut served as a base for summer grazing and was later offered as an “open house” to bushwalkers, including the Melbourne Women’s Walking Club. The original structure was made of woollybutt palings with a shingle roof, later covered in iron.
After the hut was destroyed by fire in 1991, it was rebuilt in 1993 by the Wallangarra Youth Group of Licola, using railway sleepers and traditional drop-slab construction. The new hut stands 6 metres south of the original site, whose stone fireplace remains in rubble.
The rebuilt Fitzgerald Hut is a drop-slab timber structure with a gabled corrugated iron roof, 150mm hardwood butt-jointed floor, and basic internal furnishings. It includes bunks and a nearby toilet. The hut is dry, weatherproof, and built to last.
The original hut’s stone fireplace lies in ruins nearby and is protected as a heritage feature.
Fitzgerald Hut is part of the Alpine National Park heritage network and is protected under Parks Victoria’s alpine hut conservation guidelines. The site is regularly inspected and maintained by volunteers. Interpretive signage is recommended to highlight its grazing legacy and community-led reconstruction.
The hut is informally maintained and accessible via Kellys Track from the Bogong High Plains Road. Visitors are encouraged to respect the site and avoid disturbing the original fireplace ruins. Camping is permitted nearby, and water may be available from seasonal creeks.