Tiger Hut
Phtotos courtesy of Kelvin Howe and the MHPS.
Known as Tiger Hut.
Located now, in the town of Liawene, Tasmania. Originally it was located at Lake Bigfoot, betwen Lake Adelaide and Lake Louisa.
History
The Tiger Hut is famous for two reasons.
Firstly it was created in the real wilderness by people who were scientifically bent on finding a Tasmanian Tiger (Thylacine cynocephalus) which have been presumed to be extinct since 1936 when the last animal died in captivity. They used the best equipment available at the time. But if they found one, would they tell anyone? And let the world beat a path to the door?
Secondly, the hut was removed by the Tasmanian Government without notice or warning. It was this act that created a strong movement, of people who met in Deloraine and formed the Mountain Hut Preservation Society (MHPS) who have achieved incredible results in preserving and reconstructing many other huts across the Central Highlands since 1986.
Peter and Judy Wright ran the Mole Creek Wildlife Park and Peter believed that Tigers existed in Tasmania. In conjunction with Ron Stephens, they decided to build a hut in 1984 and contracted a group to build it, following an exploration by locals, Barry Richardson and Rod Howe to find a suitable location.
Bigfoot Lake was chosen. The hut was very large, but more importantly it was fitted out with $90,000 worth of sophisticated technology and electronics to find and track Tasmanian Tigers. Graham Burdach, an experienced helicopter pilot from the RAAF, air-lifted the required goods to the site. Two 10x10 sheds were built first and a 6x6 storage shed. Over three months, a hut of 13 squares was constructed with all mod cons. The area was very cold and heavy snow was expected, but after many trials, the search was abandoned in 1984. Some say the search was successful but that the discoveries had to be hidden, and this is borne out by the many realistic and considered sightings made by others over many years.
In February 1988, the hut was swiftly and secretly removed by the Tasmanian Government. Nefarious reasons were given for the removal, such as degredation of the hut itself, which was clearly untrue. Heated debate followed.
Following the creation of MHPS just two months later, the hut was progressively re-built in Liawene. It has since been modified and extended to make it more practically useful for local people, schools and visitors.
Construction: This is a substantial hut, larger than many three-bedroom homes and equivalent in quality. It has a large kitchen and living area, suitable for a crowd, school or club.