Overview

• Rangers discovered the unauthorized holiday hut on Curtis Island after 18 people felled native trees to build the structure in a protected national park.
• Surveillance footage captured cars towing dinghies, motorbikes navigating dunes and all-terrain vehicles hauling materials to the remote site.
• The makeshift retreat featured a barbecue area, verandah and furnishings including tables, chairs and a surfboard.
• Authorities say the group used the site for hunting with firearms, lighting illegal fires and bringing pet dogs into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
• Penalties include nearly $8,000 in fines, with two individuals hit with over $1,000 each and others sanctioned for unregistered vehicles and restricted-area driving breaches.