Kiandra Courthouse/Chalet

Item details


Name of item:	Kiandra Courthouse/Chalet
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Law Enforcement
Category:	Courthouse
Location:	Lat: -35.8747514109 Long: 148.4949915380
Primary address:	Kosciuszko National Park, Kiandra, NSW 2629
Local govt. area:	Snowy Monaro Regional
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Wagonga

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	2		DP	756704

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Kosciuszko National Park	Kiandra	Snowy Monaro Regional			Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
National Parks and Wildlife Service	State Government	26 Nov 98

Description


Designer/Maker:	James Barnet (original courthouse and police residence)
Construction years:	1890-
Physical description:	Setting: A large mature Western Yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) survives on the road frontage of the former courthouse / chalet. This is one of three such trees in this location. Due to deteriorating condition, two of these pines were removed after a 2009 inspection (Tumut Region Tree Surgery, 27/10/2017). This remaining pine tree retains value as a landmark, literally marking the site of the courthouse/chalet on the flattish road landscape (Stuart Read, pers.comm., 6/12/2017). The courthouse is on the eastern side of the Snowy Mountains Highway, Kiandra, within the Kosciuszko National Park. Building complex: The stone building fronting the highway consists of the 1890s courthouse and associated police quarters (police cell) the courtroom and the chalet living room. The original courthouse was the first substantial public building in the town and the product of the office of the noted late-nineteenth century NSW Government Architect, James Barnet. In the 1950s and 1960s the building was modified and expanded and the original courthouse fabric was subsumed entirely by extensions to the ground floor and addition of a first floor. These additions were timber clad with skillion roofs, in the established Kosciuszko State Park Trust Style. The Department of Main Roads started using the building as the base for its snow clearing operations from 1971 until they vacated the building around 1999. From 1999 the NPWS removed some sections of the deteriorated 1960s fabric and boarded up the building. The Courthouse remained unused until 2010 when the courtroom at the front of the building was restored (Heritage Council of NSW, Approvals Committee meeting report, 1/5/2013).
Modifications and dates:	In the 1950s and 1960s the building was modified and expanded and the original courthouse fabric was subsumed entirely by extensions to the ground floor and addition of a first floor. These additions were timber clad with skillion roofs, in the established Kosciuszko State Park Trust Style. The Department of Main Roads started using the building as the base for its snow clearing operations from 1971 until they vacated the building around 1999. From 1999 the NPWS removed some sections of the deteriorated 1960s fabric and boarded up the building. The Courthouse remained unused until 2010 when the courtroom at the front of the building was restored.


Current use:	National Park, recreation / tourism
Former use:	Aboriginal land, Courthouse, Chalet, Accommodation

History

Historical notes:

This was the site of the Court house and Gaol established as part of Kiandra Township with a gold rush in the area in 1859-60. Evidence of the gold rush phenomenon and the former Kiandra Township is represented in the landscape, through the extant remains spread across the former town site.

James Johnstone Barnet (1827-1904) was made acting Colonial Architect in 1862 and appointed Colonial Architect from 1865-90. He was born in Scotland and studied in London under Charles Richardson, RIBA and William Dyce, Professor of Fine Arts at King's College, London. He was strongly influenced by Charles Robert Cockerell, leading classical theorist at the time and by the fine arts, particularly works of painters Claude Lorrain and JRM Turner. He arrived in Sydney in 1854 and worked as a self-employed builder. He served as Edmund Blacket's clerk of works on the foundations of the Randwick (Destitute Childrens') Asylum. Blacket then appointed Barnet as clerk-of-works on the Great Hall at Sydney University. By 1859 he was appointed second clerk of works at the Colonial Architect's Office and in 1861 was Acting Colonial Architect. Thus began a long career. He dominated public architecture in NSW, as the longest-serving Colonial Architect in Australian history. Until he resigned in 1890 his office undertook some 12,000 works, Barnet himself designing almost 1000. They included those edifices so vital to promoting communication, the law and safe sea arrivals in colonial Australia. Altogether there were 169 post and telegraph offices, 130 courthouses, 155 police buildings, 110 lockups and 20 lighthouses, including the present Macquarie Lighthouse on South Head, which replaced the earlier one designed by Francis Greenway. Barnet's vision for Sydney is most clearly seen in the Customs House at Circular Quay, the General Post Office in Martin Place and the Lands Department and Colonial Secretary's Office in Bridge Street. There he applied the classicism he had absorbed in London, with a theatricality which came from his knowledge of art (Le Sueur, 2016, 6).

Kiandra is significant as the site of the first Australian ski club and as probably the first Australian place which promoted snow sports. The 1958 and 1962 Kiandra Chalet building extensions to the original courthouse is a typical example of the KSPT promoted State Park Alpine style. The remnant chalet is important as one of the few remnant buildings of Kiandra's resort/Snowy Mountains Scheme era, and therefore is a twentieth century link with the nineteenth century pioneer snow sports in Australia. later a place of accommodation for generations who stayed at the Chalet for recreation or during the construction of the Snowy Hydro Scheme.

The building was used as a ski chalet from the 1940s until the early 1970s during which time it was extensively modified and expanded to include accommodation, a service station and a licenced bar (NPWS/OEH, 2019).

In 2000 Heritage Council approval was given for the removal of single storey additions, to return the building to the original Court House, as well as to repair roofing and guttering to reduce water ingress.

In 2013 the Heritage Council approved the adaptive re-use of the Court house and chalet, including a new accommodation and services building, including emoval of the existing shed structures surrounding it (Heritage Council of NSW, Approvals Committee meeting report, 1/5/2013). The Court House was partially restored by NPWS between 2012 and 2014 (ibid, 2019).

In July 2019 the National Parks & Wildlife Service staff discoverd that the old courthouse / chalet had been broken into and historic artefacts from the birthplace of Australian skiing and the nation's 'coldest' gold rush in 1859 been stolen. NPWS Area Manager Matt White said that burglars damaged the courthouse door and display cabinets to steal wooden skis, ceramic pots, original photos and historic crockery. Damage was done to a door to gain entry and to display cabinet
s. Monaro Police District are currently investigating the break and enter and anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Adaminaby Police Station on 64542244 or Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 (NPWS, website, 2019).

In 2022 The second stage of a world-class multi-day walk, featuring the country's highest suspension bridge between Guthega and Charlotte Pass in Kosciuszko National Park was completed. Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the spectacular new nine-kilometre track along the upper Snowy River is helping to establish the region as a key eco-adventure tourism destination. 'Once all four stages are complete, the 55-kilometre Snowies Alpine Walk will be a world-class experience for visitors to enjoy even more of Kosciuszko National Park, and puts the Snowy Mountains region firmly on the domestic and international tourism map,' Mr Toole said. 'The Snowies Alpine Walk includes Australia's highest suspension bridge at 1,627 metres above sea level and will create more than 30 jobs, attracting an expected 50,000 visitors per year.' Minister for Environment James Griffin said the project is part of the largest ever investment in national park visitor infrastructure and could compete with the likes of Tasmania's Cradle Mountain Overland Track. 'The opening of this section of the walk marks the completion of the second of four stages, and I'm thrilled to see increased access in this beautiful part of the world,' Mr Griffin said. 'The Snowies Alpine Walk is putting NSW on the map for multi-day hikes, and it'll be a must-do walk for anyone who loves Tasmania's Cradle Mountain Overland Track. In fact, I reckon it'll be a strong competitor with the Overland. 'I want to see everyone who comes to our magnificent NSW national parks arrive as visitors, and leave as conservationists, and this walk will help us achieve that.'

The Snowies Alpine Walk project was awarded more than $17 million by the NSW Government Regional Growth - Environment and Tourism Fund program. Additional funding of $10 million from the Australian Government's Regional Recovery Partnerships program has enabled construction to commence on stage four (Media release, Paul Toole MP, 5/6/2022).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Natural - regenerating native flora valued for conservation purposes-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Natural landscapes valued by humans-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Conserving and protecting natural features-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Plains and plateaux supporting human activities-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Environments important to Aboriginal traditional and spiritual life-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Mountains and peaks providing landmarks for humans-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Aboriginal Culture-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Ngarigo Nation - occupation and use sites-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Events-Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurences	Developing local landmarks-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Building settlements, towns and cities-National Theme 4
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Accommodating prisoners and internees-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	The rule of law-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	court house-
7. Governing-Governing	Law and order-Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes	Dispensing justice-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Federation Free Classical-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Victorian (late)-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Architectural styles and periods - Federation Arts and Crafts-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Adaptation of overseas design for local use-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Visiting heritage places-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Enjoying public parks and gardens-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Tourism-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Skiing-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Religion-Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship	Adaptive new use-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Sport-Activities associated with organised recreational and health promotional activities	Skiing-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with James Barnet, Colonial (Government) Architect 1862-90-

Recommended management:

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		00994	02 Apr 99	27	1546
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
National Parks & Wildlife Service Section 170 Register			National Parks & Wildlife Service		No

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Tourism	Attraction Homepage	2007	Kiandra Courthouse/Chalet	View detail
Written	Crowe, Alex	2020	Kosciuszko National Park recovery efforr under way as National Parks & Wildlife Service assesses damage
Written	Le Sueur, Angela	2016	Colonial Architects - part 2
Written	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service	2019	Kiandra's history stolen in high country burglary	View detail
Written	Toole MP, The Hon. Paul (Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW)	2022	(media release): Stunning new walk opens in the Snowies
Tourism	Tourism NSW	2007	Kosciuszko National Park	View detail

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5014099
File number:	EF14/5291

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