Tasmanian Bush Heritage
In January 1908, Major Ron (RE) Smith, son of James “Philosopher” Smith, searched for an old hunter’s camp on the flank of Mount Kate. He wrote that Apparently the camp had been a hut, or a combination of hut and tent. The slabs of the skin drying chimney, which were of pine, were still mostly … Read moreLinnane’s Hut – Cradle Valley
On the Monday of the March long weekend of 2023, I revisited Basil Steers No 3 (aka Smurf) hut on the southern end of the February Plains for the first time since 1997. Recollections of Basil, construction of the hut and numerous trips, slowly filtered into my memory and over the months began to clarify. … Read moreA Wurragarra Homecoming
In 1891, three separate surveys were cut through the mountainous centre of Tasmania towards Zeehan. Engineers, local guides, axemen and packers worked to find a route for a railway from Ouse, Mole Creek or Waratah. It was part of a series of crazy parochial conflicts later called the ‘railway wars’.1 This blog is about our … Read moreA Camp on the Mole Creek to Zeehan Railway Survey 1891
Eddie Firth and I have been visiting the old Barn Bluff mine for years. At first glance there isn’t a lot to see. But a close look reveals a lot of history. The most evocative reminder of its history is a few grainy photos. Some show men proudly staring at the camera. They are frozen … Read moreThe Barn Bluff Copper Mine – The Huts
How it started For us one search leads to another. This one started with a photo of Damper Inn on the Gordon River Track near Maydena. Ian got his teeth into that. We told that story in an earlier blog here. This reminded me of a photo of a sign post made of number plates … Read moreJunction Hut – The Port Davey Track
Guest writer – Paula McCulloch About four years ago I was intrigued by the story Simon Cubit wrote on his blog (then later published in his book Mountain stories: echoes from the Tasmanian high country, vol.1) about a hut near Stretcher Creek in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. It interested me that even with … Read moreStretcher Creek Hut Site
The Pelion Plains, in the middle of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, are remote and stunningly beautiful. Some call them pristine wilderness. On the southern edge of the plains is the imposing two-storey edifice of New Pelion walkers’ hut. It is the newest and biggest of a series of huts that have … Read moreThe Forgotten Huts of the Pelion Plains
A haven in the South West Again, a picture got Ian’s attention. It was a hut called Damper Inn and it was located somewhere in south-western Tasmania. The photo showed a neat corded track gently curved into the hut’s sunlit clearing. The hut looked like a welcoming haven in a dark forest. … Read moreDamper Inn than out
It seems like we’ve known about Gads Hill forever. But it was just a place to drive past on the way to more interesting spots. It never captured our imaginations enough to be a destination. For Ian Gads Hill goes back more than 50 years to when he listened to his father and mates tell … Read moreBringing Gads Hill Old Station Back to Life