Kiandra Court House
Known as The Kiandra Hotel, Kiandra Court House, Kiandra Post Office or Kiandra Works Depot.
Location of the building is in the main street of Kiandra at the top of the rise.
Brief History
This full building with all extensions burnt down in the 2020 bushfires. The photo opposite, shows the building within a week of the fires. All other buildings in Kiandra were burnt also - Wolgal Lodge, Pattinson’s and Matthews Cottage. The NPWS has confirmed in 2022, that all are likely to be replaced and rented to the public.
KNP Officers were very quick to remove a large pine tree at the front of the building straight after the fires, and probably understandably so. KNP also undertook very quick repairs to the front half of the building with a new roof, due to its significant heritage value. The long extension at the back was removed.
KHA does not have this building currently in its huts list, but its historical importance and future prospects are very important to the area.
It is widely known that this building was built as the local court house and police station. It was later turned into the Kiandra Chalet (not one of the hotels), then a DMR-RTA depot.
The original Post Office was temporarily the Kiandra School of Arts building and was built a few doors up the street towards Tumut. There were two other buildings that were hotels at one time. This is certainly achievable, but at a considerable cost.
It closed as a chalet in 1973, before Selwyn's Ski Resort really took off. Today it would probably be a viable accommodation place and cafe, their being no other between Adaminaby and Talbingo. However, KNP has a view that ALL waste would need to be removed from the area if it was made into commercial accommodation for example.
A Conservation Study exists for the building. The NPWS have tried to get someone interested in making it a commercial venture, but the restrictions imposed are exceptionally rigorous (as you might imagine in the NP), making it hard to run the place in a viable manner. Handling of sewerage, waste, petrol and parking are all obviously key issues.
Caretakers - NPWS
References
It does not appear on the KHA Hut listing.
KNP Files.
GPS: S 35.873352 E 148.495067