Cropper Creek Hilton
Photos by Steve Schmez
Known as the Cropper Creek Hilton or Cropper Ck Hut
Located off Research Road in the Black Range near Lake Buffalo, within its Barry Mountains region.
History
The hut has an interesting forestry research history. Researcher L. Bren’s firsthand account explains that the team brought a Stanley hut from the Ovens Depot to the Cropper Creek hydrology research site, adding a picnic table, barbecue and stove. They called it “The Croppers Creek Hilton” and used the site for visits and social gatherings associated with their research. The account does not give the hut’s relocation date to its current position.
The research project began monitoring three small catchments—Clem, Ella and Betsy Creeks—in 1975, studying how converting native eucalypt forest to radiata pine affected water and nutrient flows. This gives the hut a documented connection with forest science. A Personal View
Read Bren’s personal history · VHCHA hut page.
Construction
Timber frame and walls with a useful sun roof.
GPS is S −36.78160 E 146.60236
Profile created 5 November 2026.