Cootapatamba Hut

Cootapatamba Hut is a small emergency survival shelter in Kosciuszko National Park, positioned in the river valley just south of the Kosciuszko Summit. It was originally built by the SMA as a survey shelter, and the hut’s defining feature is a snow entrance via a roof-top tunnel, with a separate summer entrance into the side of the “tower.”

The hut is for day-use rest or emergency shelter only—overnight accommodation and camping around the hut aren’t permitted. Use is free, but you should be ready to carry your own sleeping setup because huts are there for emergency purposes rather than booked lodging. Expect minimal shelter footprint (about 2.5 m by 2.5 m) and plan as if you may need to survive a storm in a very tight space; the fireplace is external to the hut.

In the Kosciuszko alpine environment, bring essentials for cold and storm conditions and plan for low water reliability—water is typically unreliable and needs treatment/boiling. Fires are limited to the hut’s fireplaces; avoid open or wood fires in alpine areas outside hut fireplaces. If you’re traveling in the alpine main range, follow remote-camping and drinking-water-catchment rules, since camping restrictions apply in parts of Kosciuszko National Park (including Lake Cootapatamba catchment areas).