From shanty shelters to luxe lodgings, Tasmania’s bush huts have evolved

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of people who visit Tasmania’s picturesque national parks every year, you may have noticed the tracks are littered with small, wooden huts.

As you fight your way through native plants or scramble up remote cliff faces to panoramic viewpoints, these small shanty houses appear in the distance, sometimes in the most unlikely of places.

So how did they get there, and why were they built in the first place?

The reasons include shelter from the harsh and ever-changing weather, and the desire for expensive honeymoon attire for English brides.

Huts for intrepid hunters

Heritage Assessment Officer at Heritage Tasmania and freelance historian Nic Haygarth has spent decades researching the history…