Thark Ridge Hut
Photo by Jack Thwaites, 1966
Known as Thark Hut or Thark Ridge Hut
Located about three kilometres west of the summit of Mt Wellington behind Hobart.
History
Thark Hut was built in 1901 for use during the survey of watersheds of the streams west and south of Collins Bonnet.
In the 1920s it was used as a ski hut by members of the Ski Club of Tasmania. Existence was kept secret. Members of the Hobart Walking Club visited regularly referred to in their journal as "The Thark Lark" for that year.
It was named Thark Hut in the 1930s, which may seem a strange name and some reports suggest that a theatrical play that was on in Hobart at the time inspired the name. It was vandalised in 1966 and burnt down in the 1967 bushfires.
If you went back some 20 years or so there was no track on Thark Ridge and even the pad along the flank. The Wellington Park Bushcare Group has re-routed and repaired the track over the last couple of years.
Construction
The hut Built of sawn palings with a galvanised iron roof, wooden floor and with a large stone fireplace at east end. Photos show the hut was in good condition in 1966 when we first visited as children. The photos show the hut to be a vertical timber plank clad, gable roofed hut.
References
Abrahams J: 2001
Grist and Grist 2003 p6
Hepper and De Gryse 1994
Johnston 1979 p126
Luckman, L; 2001