The background

  • The privately owned Halls Island hut was built by the Walls Of Jerusalem National Park founder, Reg Hall. In this respect Halls Island holds the important story of the birth of a national park, and is the equivalent of Weindorfer’s cottage at Cradle Mountain. The protection and showcasing of this Tasmanian cultural story is a cornerstone of Halls Island project.
  • Halls Island has been under various private lease or licences since 1955, pre-dating World Heritage Listing and National Parks status. The hut itself has been privately owned since its construction, and is located within the national park in a similar fashion to the large number of shacks in other parks and reserves, including Rocky Cape, Central Plateau Conservation Area (19 Lagoons and Pillans areas), and Freycinet National Park. The owners pay rates and lease to the local council and Crown.

What we’re proposing

  • The typical Halls Island trip will be 4 days, 3 nights. Guests will arrive by a short (~11 minute) helicopter transfer to a landing site adjacent to Lake Malbena, giving guests an important interpretative overview of the cultural landscape, geology and flora of the area. This flight path has been carefully designed to minimise potential environmental and social impacts, including routing to the eastern boundary of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, avoiding walking routes and high-value fishing waters, minimising flight times, and flying at an altitude of +1000m.
  • During their stay, guests will participate in cultural interpretation relating to the history of Halls Island and the Walls of Jerusalem National Park, and low-impact activities including guided kayaking, flora and fauna interpretation, citizen-science research activities, bushwalking, and occasional fly fishing.
  • Additions to the existing infrastructure involve the installation of three minimalistic accommodation pods, and one communal pod, to form the Standing Camp (approximate infrastructure footprint of ~73m2). Three short boardwalks will also be used to rehabilitate and protect two on-island Sphagnum bog communities. There will be no off-island infrastructure.

No cost public access 

  • Public access arrangements have been be maintained and continued; including increased public visitation levels and improved environmental management for guests to the privately-owned, historical hut. All environmental management costs including complete-capture toilet facilities for guests will be covered by the proponents at a significant public and environmental benefit.
  • Historically significant artefacts from Halls Island, Reg Hall’s family and the Halls Island Hut have been assessed, collated and donated to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery to form the basis of a new wilderness recreation exhibit in the near future. This donation is the single largest donation relating to Tasmanian wilderness recreation in the history of the museum.

Daniel & Simone Hackett
Custodians and Lessee’s, Halls Island