Bluff Hut
Copyright Olaf Moon © at Bluff Hut, 1992, before the 2007 fire.
Located on Bluff Track below The Bluff.
From Mansfield, follow sealed Mount Buller Road through Merrijig, then gravel Howqua Track to Sheepyard Flat, about 35 km from Mansfield. Continue along Brocks Road, then Bluff Link Road and the signed Bluff Track spur to the hut.
The upper roads and final track require a capable high-clearance 4WD or suitable off-road motorcycle. Seasonal gates and snow can prevent vehicle access socheck conditions before departure.
History
Grazing at the Bluff lease involved Jack Ware and Eadley Stoney of Minto Park in the 1940s, with Jack Davon involved in the 1950s. Local cattlemen helped build Bluff Hut in 1955; Jack Ware shaped its structural timbers. Ware retired in 1965 and Eadley Stoney died in 1972. Graeme Stoney took over the run, and Chris Stoney assumed management in 1992.
Earlier accounts describe disputes over commercial and public use, including a 1985 permissive occupancy for the older portion and a 1988 proposal to modify the hut. The associated headless-axeman tale is folklore, discussed by Ian Stapleton.
The old hut was destroyed in January 2007. The Stoney family, local cattlemen, volunteers, businesses, VHCHA and Parks Victoria supported its replacement, which was completed in 2008. Cattle grazing in the national park ended in 2005;
Construction
The earlier hut had a central gabled section over sapling poles, a concrete floor, iron cladding and later extensions. Those descriptions and the older photographs refer to the building lost in 2007. The present hut is the 2008 reconstruction. The additional John Mitchell photograph, credited © 2002, is described in the earlier profile as showing the hut in 1971 - this was confirmed with John in person.
Caretakers;
VHCHA identifies the Stoney family as continuing custodians.
References
VHCHA, Bluff Hut;
Hueneke, pp. 77 and 232;
Butler 1996, pp. 25–27;
Ian Stapleton, Something Small: the Story of Mittagundi (1988), p. 112;
Stephenson;
Siseman;
Parks Victoria access notes.
Mapping Guidance:
GPS: 37.21593°S, 146.52400°E. UTM Zone 55H: 457767 m E, 5881067 m N. Approximate VHCHA mapped position, treated as WGS84.
