More than 100 years after a small timber hut in the NSW Snowy Mountains was built, a descendant of its original owner is working to resurrect the historic shelter.
Delaneys Hut sits in a clearing of bushland just east of Eucumbene River in Kosciuszko National Park.
It was one of several historic huts in the region that were destroyed by the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires.
South Australian Paul Delaney became connected to the hut in a rather unexpected manner.
"I used to ride through from Adelaide on my motorbike to visit my mother in Sydney, and this was a good stopping off point," he said.
"I was curious about the name Delaney so I went and asked my uncle who was born in Adaminaby, along with my father and the rest of his family. He told me it was my grandfather's cousin who built it."
That conversation started a life-long connection to the two-room hut, first built in 1910 by James Delaney who had an 810-hectare grazing lease in the Snowy Mountains.
Mr Delaney eventually became a caretaker for the hut.
New Year's Eve in 2019 he completed his annual maintenance check as fire took a hold of nearby countryside.
"The whole sky was black and red and I was driving into that and it was an eerie sort of feeling," he said.
"As I drove past the hut all I could say was, 'Good luck'."
A confronting sight
NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) ranger Megan Bowden said the bushfire's aftermath was confronting.
"There was nothing left other than a few stumps," she said.
Ms Bowden said there was also a sense of deja vu because the hut had previously burnt down in the 2003 Canberra bushfires.
"We recorded what was left and then, using the plans we'd used in 2003, we developed plans for rebuilding this one," she said.
Workers reunite for second rebuild
Mr Delaney, who helped rebuild the hut after the 2003 bushfire, has returned with many of those same workers for a second rebuild.
This included NPWS field supervisor Roger Rosenboom.
"When we first saw it, it was very disappointing," Mr Rosenboom said.
"But now, you can see it's all back — new timber joists, the roof, chimney, floor.
"I didn't need a plan this time because I still had it in my head."
Ulladulla resident Colin Jones, who likes to fish nearby in the Eucumbene River, is also a return helper.
He befriended Mr Delaney during the 2003 rebuild and was more than happy to lend a hand again 20 years later.
"I can fish as much as I like down the coast, but it doesn't give me the satisfaction that I get just doing a couple of weeks up here," he said.
Fire resilience features included
The hut is being rebuilt using timber salvaged from trees burnt in the fire.
This time, however, it will also have a few new features.
"The timbers have all been treated with a [fire] retardant and also we've got a watering system," Ms Bowden said.
"There are sprinklers going on top of the roof and a water tank here, so we can actually connect a pump and provide extra water protection to the place."
Delaneys is the second of 11 huts in the park to rebuilt after the Black Summer bushfires.
Ms Bowden said it was a long-term project for NPWS but one they were committed to delivering.
"It's been quite emotional," she said.
"We've had people dropping in and talking to us about their connections, coming with their families and their stories.
"It's why we're rebuilding. It's keeping those social connections going, the social significance of these areas."
Delaneys Hut is expected to be officially reopened during April.
