Lake Fenton Huts
Photos courtesy of Keith Moon May 2022.
Known as the Lake Fenton Huts or Fenton Hut
Located at the Mount Field road, a few kilometres short of Lake Dobson at Lake Fenton. This hut is about 200 metres off the road, but rarely visited, although often available for skiers in winter. In the 1950’s the road finished at the Lake Fenton Dam and skiers walked from here, or took pack-horses to Mt Mawson and beyond.
History
This is the last remaining hut, of a group that used to be at the end of the Mt Field National Park road, at Lake Fenton.
They were all built by the first Park Ranger, Bill Belcher between 1930 and 1932 with the aid of his wife, Emily. He knew the park very well, and cut most of the standard tracks around the Park starting in 1915, then later became the first ranger in 1918. One visitor wrote;
“Mr Belcher, the Ranger, knows almost every stick and stone of our National Park, and is one of the kindliest, best-tempered and wittiest men walking the earth” (Roma Reid, 1933)
Construction
There are three rooms in this hut and a fireplace. The hut has a horizantal weatherboard treatment, but a vertical board facia in front of the veranda.
References
Davies 1986
Lake Fenton hut under snow, typical of winter.