Donnelly River Mouth - Hut Precinct

Parent Place or Precinct

18620 D Entrecasteaux National Park

Values

The huts are highly valued by the community who utilise them

The huts are representative of patterns of coastal recreation in Western Australia from the 1930s onward

Donnelly River Mouth – Hut Precinct is different from similar squatter's precincts through its restricted access (by boat only) and lack of recent development

Squatters’ sites are becoming rarer due to Government policy to remove squatters from State land

The huts are constructed in such a way that their impact on the aesthetics of the natural environment appears minimised

There is evidence of huts being ‘inherited’, with some being occupied by third and fourth generation holidaymakers

Donnelly River Huts represent an era of vernacular innovation, from cheap or easily obtainable materials

Physical Description

The precinct consists of 43 huts, constructed on both sides of the Donnelly River between 300m and 1.3km upstream of the mouth. Huts are located within natural surrounds and access to the precinct is by boat from landing 12km upstream.

Squatters’ huts are small, rudimentary structures best described as ‘vernacular’. Some are constructed from bush timber, some from corrugated iron, and some from a mixture of the two. Most have timber or concrete floors, but one or two have dirt floors only.

While construction of coastal shacks intensified from the 1950s, there is evidence of shacks being built earlier than this. Although over time the shacks became more permanent in nature as holidaymakers wanted comfortable and structurally sound accommodation, the shacks still only provide very basic lodgings. For most, they were an affordable holiday for families who could not afford more conventional vacations.

History

The lower Donnelly River area represents early European use of southern coastal areas in Western Australia, for both pastoral leases and coastal recreation. Leases for cattle grazing were granted to European settlers, including the Bussells (from Vasse) and Scotts (from Nannup). Cattle were moved to coastal areas for summer grazing before returning to their inland properties. Bolangup Hut, 6km south of Donnelly River Mouth boat landing area, is one of the last remaining pastoral lease camps in the area. It was associated with the Giblett family (from Manjimup) and CALM is currently being negotiated with to preserve this structure.

Families from the surrounding area, mostly from Pemberton and Manjimup, have used the mouth of the Donnelly River as a holiday destination for nearly 100 years. Its history as a camping area has links to the group settlement scheme (1920s) and to the Depression (1930s) when sustenance workers spent much of their ‘free’ time at the coast. Hardships within the group settlements, and more generally during the Depression years, led to an inability to afford more than essentials. Poor transport and remoteness from coastal towns meant holidays had to be taken locally.

The original huts at the mouth of Donnelly River appear to have been built in 1934 as holiday accommodation, since references to earlier visits refer to tents rather than shacks. Although three existed in 1934, most were constructed in 1950-75. 43 huts currently exist, the majority of which are owned by residents of the Shire of Manjimup. All of these huts were constructed by their owners, using salvaged materials, and are occupied only during weekends and holidays.

D’Entrecasteaux National Park was gazetted in 1978. Included within the Park boundaries were a number of different leaseholds and reserves as well as vacant crown land. The various leases and reserves implied different forms of land use, but all pastoral leases, for example, were resumed by CALM on creation of the park.

There are 62 squatters’ huts located throughout D’Entrecasteaux National Park. Some of the older huts were built by pastoralists who brought cattle to the coast for summer grazing and by the former Forests Department for staff involved in forest assessment or staffing fire lookouts. However, families or groups of friends currently use the majority of the huts on a private basis, with few available to the public.

In 1980, legislation was introduced to provide means to remove shacks from public land for environmental reasons.

In 1983, State Cabinet endorsed a position paper on coastal planning and management in Western Australia. The report set out broad policies for coastal areas and included a policy that indicated that squatter settlements were not considered acceptable.

A previous management plan for D’Entrecasteaux National Park allowed lifetime leases to the hut owners near the mouth of the Donnelly River. However, lifetime leases were determined illegal, and the hut owners indicated that they did not wish to be bound by the conditions of a 1987 management plan that precluded them selling or transferring ownership of the huts. In 1990, the hut owners negotiated new occupancy licences for their huts, to be current for a period of 7 years to June 1997, with a further option of renewal to 2007.

The issue of squatter shacks first came to the attention of HCWA with a referral of squatter shacks at Sandy Cape Beach. The matter was in direct relation to the 1998 Government Squatter Shack Policy, where jurisdiction over these areas was transferred to CALM.

At a meeting on 30 November 2001, the Register Committee determined that Squatter Shack Settlement, Wedge Island (P02451) and Sandy Cape ary 2002, Crown Solicitor’s Office stated there was no legal impediment to the listing of structures built illegally on Crown Land, but their preservation would be contrary to government policy.

On 22 February 2002, the Register Committee agreed not to pursue heritage assessments for Wedge and Grey on the understanding that CALM agreed:

Any development proposals should include significant and meaningful interpretation of squatter settlements, including mapping of dwellings, a photographic record of representative types, photographs of the shacks in use, and a social history taking into account lifestyle and oral history.

Proponents should be asked to consider the retention of a representative group of shacks. It is not necessary that these shacks remain in use.

The nature of the new development should be sensitive to the landscape and to the social history of each place, and may be reflected in road patterns, building materials, or the scale of development.

HCWA’s Development Committee would appreciate an opportunity to provide comments on development proposals or send a representative to relevant meetings.

At the Register Committee meeting on 24 April 2002, it was noted that CALM had agreed to include HCWA’s recommendations in any lease and/or development agreement for Wedge and Grey Islands.

Since that time, Grey Shack Settlement (P10521) was reviewed in December 2004. The Development Committee agreed not to proceed with assessment but to reiterate advice given to CALM concerning Wedge and Grey Islands.

CALM’s 2005 Management Plan for Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks notes:

A heritage study of the huts other than those at the mouth of the Donnelly River showed that some huts had heritage value: Coodamurrup (Moore’s) Hut, Bolghinup Hut and East’s Hut (Heritage and Conservation Professionals 2000). These huts may be retained by the Department for cultural heritage and interpretative purposes. The Department may also consider upgrading or modifying some of the huts to use as built accommodation sites for visitors as the opportunity to stay in simple built accommodation in natural surroundings is appropriate in some situations.

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.