NBW Hut
Photo courtesy of G Duncan © 1995.
Known as NBW Hut, supposedly referring to “No Bloody Women Hut" or by some as “No Blanky Women”.
Located on the side of Mt Erica in the Baw Baws.
NBW Hut is a small, basic alpine structure near Mushroom Rocks in Baw Baw National Park, Victoria. From Rawson, join Thomson Valley Road and travel about 8 km to the Mount Erica Road turn-off on the left. Follow this unsealed road to the Mount Erica car park. Walk along the Australian Alps Walking Track for about 2 km to Mushroom Rocks, then continue uphill before taking an off-track approach to NBW Hut.
Bushwalking Victoria describes an 11 km circuit via Mount Erica, taking about five hours; it requires off-track navigation rather than a signed hut trail.
History
The NBW hut was completed in 1940 by a group of five State Electricity Commission staff members. It was built as a ski hut, the first on Mount Erica, to take advantage of the clear ski slopes on the mountain following the 1939 fires.
The heritage values of place name were assessed as part of a comprehensive regional assessment of national estate values in the Central Highlands regional Forest Agreement Region. This assessment was undertaken jointly by the Commonwealth and the Victorian land management and heritage agencies.
To obtain a full understanding of the methods and outcomes of the regional assessment, and of the identification of heritage values in place name, it is necessary to refer to the following documents: Australian Heritage Commission and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Victoria (1994). Method Papers: East Gippsland and Central Highlands Joint Forest Projects. Volume Two- Cultural Values. Australian Heritage Commission and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Victoria (1994).
National Estate Values in the Central Highlands of Victoria. Draft Project Report. Joint Commonwealth and Victorian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) Steering Committee (1997). Central Highlands Comprehensive Regional Assessment Report. (A set of eight reports comprising the titles: Overview of Assessments; Environment and Heritage Report; Resources and Economics Report; Social Report; National Estate Report; Wilderness of the Eastern Victorian Forests; Methods Paper: East Gippsland National Estate).
Construction
It is a small bush pole framed hut approximately 12 square metres with a single slope skillion roof. The walls are clad in flat galvanised iron sheets and the roof with corrugated galvanised iron.
The interior of the hut is formed with bush poles all approximately 120 mm in diameter and spaces at about 800 – 900 mm centres. 120 mm diameter noggins between posts. Each wall is securely braced with a 70 mm diameter diagonal pole brace.
There is a black paper (perhaps tar paper) sarking under most sections of the external flat galvanised iron wall cladding but otherwise the walls and ceiling are unlined. Some areas of the sarking have been torn away. The top of the poles are trenched into the top plate and the bottom of the poles are bedded into the ground.
The rough floor is covered with a cement mortar or concrete with exposed granite stones in parts.
It has bunks, a table and some chairs.
Caretakers - In 1982, the 7th Morwell Venturers laid a new floor in the hut. A firewood shelter was added by a later group. More recently it is maintained by the Victorian High Country Huts Association (VHCA)
References
Register of the National Estate - the above is an extract from the Register of the National Estate https://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/register-national-estate )
Hueneke Pp 241.
Mapping Guidance:
GPS (WGS84): 37.881167°S, 146.353433°E.
UTM: Zone 55, southern hemisphere (grid zone 55H), 443141 mE, 5807173 mN. Approximate hut position: ExplorOz explicitly labels this location as approximate.