Horsehair Hut (New)
Photo copyright Olaf Moon © September 2003. Photos of the ORIGINAL Horsehair Hut are shown below by Gary Duncan.
Location
On Cobungra Station, near to the Mt Hotham airport. Original Site is at GR 292987 on the Dargo Plains-Cobungra map, but this new hut is at GR302999. There is a very waterlogged 4WD track via the west boundary of the Hotham Airport. However, a quicker and better way to get there, is to park in the airport carpark, and walk around the right/east boundary fence, until you are directly opposite the hanger, across the airport runway. (If in the right position, there is a large pond inside the fence). Follow an old fenceline of droppers and mesh wire, to the top of the hill. The hut is 300m from the airport fence, and 10m to the left of the dropper fence. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from the carpark.
GPS position is S37 02.761 E 147 20.534.
History
The original hut was built by Tom Goldie for Fred Box who was a local cattleman, in 1872, making it the oldest hut in the Alpine area and therefore of great heritage value.
The hut was bought by Charlie Rundell in 1927 and later sold to Charlie McNamara in 1955 after which there have been many owners up to 2002. The shed were not built until the 1920s and the weatherboard hut in the 1940s.
The original hut was restored after the 1939 fires, using bricks from the Cassilis mine and the old Omeo Hospital.
The new hut was built in 2002 by the VHCH Association, after receiving permission from its new owners, a syndicate for three from Melbourne. The construction of the hut took five days, being built by volunteers of the newly formed VHCHA.
Construction
The original was of log and chock construction with a dirt floor and a hessian lining. The new hut follows similar but not identical construction.
The logs were Manna Gums, not available for the 2003 rebuild.
Caretakers - Victorian High Country Huts Assn.
References
Hueneke Pp119 -123
Magnussen Pp47 - 49
Butler omitted!
