Cooinbil Homestead
Photograph copyright to Olaf Moon © 2001 and 2003.
Known as Long Plain Homestead, The Retreat, Oddys Hut, or Ibbotson's Homestead.
Located on the east side of Long Plain towards the Peppercorn (north) end, and readily accessible from the Snowy Highway at Rules Point, or from the north down the Broken Cart Trail in summer. Grid Reference is 445556 on the Rules Point map.
Brief History
This is one of seven huts in KNP for which there is a full book written, with more anticipated. (The others include Four Mile Hut, Daveys, Currango, Teddies and Old Currango).
The original building was built on this site in 1866.
This building replaced it in 1905, when the lease was held by A.B. Triggs. It was later taken over by Cooinbil Pty Ltd, a Riverina Property. Campbell was a major shareholder.
In 1987 a large limb from the nearby tree fell and crushed half the building. NPWS gratefully allowed restoration of the main building and the kitchen at the rear. KHA members put in many hours of work on this restoration.
In the 1990s, the boggy road was graveled, making the building more accessible to regular vehicles and it suffered more vandalism from graffiti. The site is also regularly used by horse riders and groups, who appear to keep it in good order and have more recently built yards nearby, supported by KNP.
The site is a good place to camp.
Construction
The building is a two room weatherboard cottage, with unusual cypress pine linings. The chimney is double brick. The roof is corrugated iron as is the separate kitchen area. There are shuttered windows and a NPWS standard toilet nearby.
Caretakers - Harry Hill and. friends from Tumut
References
Harry Hill - “Cooinbil - Recollections and Restoration” 1995 Wilkie Watson Publications 114 pp.
Hueneke 195
KHA reference number 1207,
KNP POM Schedule is L.50.
A formal Conservation Study exists
Notes and History sheet exist for this site.
GPS: S 35.631292 E 148.597118
Extra Photographs below including interior shots by Olaf Moon were taken in 2003 to provide a detailed record and show the restoration, particularly to the kitchen at the rear.
