Mountain Huts Preservation Society Inc

Mountain Huts Preservation Society Inc.

Hydrographers Hut – Cradle Mt – Lake St Clair National Park

The Hydrographers Hut was built in the 1960s when water flow information was needed to plan the Mersey-Forth hydro-electric power scheme. Two people based in the hut recorded rainfall and water flows.  Better known as the Hydro Hut and located in an idyllic setting beside an un-named tarn on the Windermere Plains, in the Cradle Mt-Lake St Clair National Park, it is both remote and lonely.  From the outside the camouflaged corrugated iron hut doesn’t look comfortable.  Two thick wire ropes holding the hut down tells a lot about the weather.  However, the interior of the hut is snug.  A small mud room leads to the main space.  Built on-site to a high standard, the Hut is fully lined with a ceiling and trimmed with skirting boards and cornices.  Internal doors close off each of the three small rooms.  The main room still holds much of the original furniture; a large bookcase – now empty, the beds, table and chairs and a cupboard.  Recent repairs to rotted studs guarantees the hut will be a refuge for another 60 years.

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