Phillip Island Hut Rebuild – April 2024 Update!! The Roof is On the Fisherman’s Hut

This month on Facebook, there were images posted of the Phillip Island Fisherman’s Hut with a new roof. The builders and helpers have been busy constructing a new building for the Fisherman after it was damaged early 2023 during TC Gabrielle.

Norfolk Island Noticeboard

Brogan Evans’ Facebook post, 7 April 2024

Huge shout out to everyone that has been involved in getting the Hut to the milestone that was reached today!!

This awesome crew went out to Philip Island today and

WE HAVE A ROOF!!

Thanks f’ ucklan yorley

In the January 2024 the Facebook pages, Norfolk Island Community, and Norfolk Island Noticeboard, dated 28 January 2024, were posts “Phillip Island Hut Rebuild - Update!!” by Brogan Evans This included photographs of the new hut construction in progress last weekend. The new fisherman’s hut now has timber

framing and looks amazing. Thank you to everyone involved in transferring the building materials out to Phillip Island and for helping with building the brand-new fisherman’s hut.

A year ago, Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle tracked across Norfolk Island on the 11 & 12 February 2023 and the Fisherman’s Hut at Phillip Island was damaged by the swells and high winds. Early in 2023, the Fisherman’s Association had public meetings and many locals have been out to Phillip Island to assess and clean up the hut site in preparation to rebuild the Iconic Hut. In March last year, the community gathered at Munnas for a massive fundraising event to raise money to rebuild the Fisherman’s Hut. Approximately $24,000 was raised thanks to the generosity of the community and a big thank you to the organisers. Brogan Evans also started a Go Fundme fundraiser as well, which was also well supported, and this raised over $12,000.

Phillip Island is the large island, which is 6 or 7 km out to sea from Kingston. If you would like to see images of Phillip Island and the fisherman hut, check out these internet links, plus I have shared details from the Norfolk Island National Park online page.

It is interesting to see how challenging it is to land on this amazing red island and the work that has been done over the years to make it safer to walk up the tracks and cliffs to reach the Fisherman’s Hut and then explore the island which is the home of many sea birds and other flora and fauna.

Phillip Island (Norfolk Island): All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (tripadvisor.com.au)

Phillip Island | Norfolk Island National Park (parksaustralia.gov.au)

Phillip Island

Six kilometres south of Norfolk is Phillip Island – part of the Norfolk Island National Park and a birdwatcher’s paradise.

Every year, thousands of migratory seabirds breed on Phillip Island, including masked boobies, black-winged petrels, sooty terns and black noddies.

The island is free of any predators, making it an ideal place for these beautiful birds to nest among rare and endangered plants.

Phillip Island’s contoured landscape is quite unusual – a century of erosion and degradation has exposed a dazzling array of red, yellow, and pink soils.

Visiting Phillip Island

Phillip Island is an adventurer’s paradise and just getting off the boat at the landing spot can be a challenge. Accessing the island also requires an exhilarating climb on rope ladders followed by a trek over steep inclines.

But the effort is well worth it to be rewarded with epic views and the chance to get close to thousands of nesting seabirds.

Access to the island is weather-dependant and an experienced guide is required at all times.

To organise a visit, please contact the Norfolk Island Visitors Information Centre.

The photos attached to this story are from Facebook the Norfolk Island Noticeboard and Norfolk Island Community pages, plus Norfolk Island Fishing Association. Follow this link and see the damage of the hut and the commencement of the rebuild of the Fisherman’s Hut.

(15) Norfolk Island Fishing Association | Facebook

It has been strange when sitting at Kingston at night looking South to Phillip Island and not seeing the lights on. But the hut’s lights will burn again, the Norfolk Island community and the next generation will get together and rebuild a strong building and will anchor it down and design it so future cyclones and storms will hopefully not wash or blow it apart.

Thank you, yorlye for helping raise money to rebuild the Fisherman’s Hut, and for everyone involved in the clean up last year and the rebuild which has started to take shape during the past months. Thank you, Brogan, for keeping us all up to date.

Betty Matthews

19 April 2024

Fisherman’s Hut 4 April 2024 update – Facebook Norfolk Island Noticeboard

(Brogan Evans & Beau Rutledge and 6 others)

Fisherman’s Hut, 28 January 2024 update – Australia Day weekend

Facebook, Norfolk Island Noticeboard and Norfolk Island Community

(Facebook Posts by Brogan Evans).