Tomahawk Hut
Photographs courtesy of Ron Dickson, February and September 2004, showing the hut before its 2007 rebuilding.
Also known as Dales Hut.
Located at Tomahawk Gap, near Carters Road, Number 3 Road and Buckland Spur Track in Mansfield State Forest.
From Mansfield, follow sealed Mount Buller Road towards Mirimbah. At Sawmill Settlement turn left onto gravel Carters Road and follow it for about 11 km, then take the signed Buckland Spur Track turn-off to the hut. Allow roughly 40 km driving from Mansfield, with the final distance depending on the starting point and signed approach.
Explore Outdoors rates the hut approach suitable for 2WD when open; check recent road conditions, especially after rain. Park at the picnic area and walk the short distance to the hut. The access road is seasonally closed to motor vehicles over winter, generally June to late October or early November. A gate closure means a longer walking or skiing approach rather than vehicle access.
History
Arthur Dale, Mansfield’s first forestry officer, built the original hut in 1927 as a base for road-building and forest patrol work. Eric Sale’s work around 1963 was a rebuilding, not the hut’s first construction.
Further repairs were carried out in 1991. A falling tree badly damaged the hut in 2004, followed by repairs.
DSE completed a full reconstruction in 2007 using bushfire-recovery funding; this funding source should not itself be taken as evidence that the hut burnt down. A picnic table was subsequently provided by the Jackaroo 4WD Club.
Earlier notes record nearby clear-felling in 2002 and a plaque installed in 2004. These relate to the landscape and building at that time.
Construction
A small log hut with a corrugated-iron roof and fireplace. The old comment that the chimney urgently needed attention describes the pre-reconstruction hut and has been removed as a current condition claim.
Caretakers - Jackaroo 4WD Club.
References
Explore Outdoors Victoria, Tomahawk Hut;
VHCHA, Tomahawk Hut;
Hueneke, pp. 88, 92 and 234;
Ron Dickson, personal communication;
Rooftop Maps.
Mapping Guidance
GPS: approximately 37.04067°S, 146.40975°E.
UTM Zone 55H: 447510 m E, 5900453 m N. Approximate VHCHA mapped position, treated as WGS84.