At 1446m above sea level, the white quartzite peak known as Frenchmans Cap is a spectacularly  dominant feature in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park located in the West Coast region of Tasmania. Bushwalkers have long been drawn to the area, known as much for its extreme weather conditions as for its pristine wilderness, sheer beauty and majestic scenery. It is recommended that only experienced, fit and well prepared hikers tackle the arduous walk  which can take between 3 and 5 days for the return trip to the summit via two huts along the way – namely Lake Vera Hut and Lake Tahune Hut. The first recorded ascent of Frenchmans Cap was in 1853, however it wasn’t until 1946 that the first hut was erected to accommodate walkers in this unspoiled area of wilderness.  In 1940, Ray Livingstone from the Lands and Surveys Dept offered to finance the building of a hut at Lake Tahune and negotiated with Cliff Bradshaw, a local West Coast timber merchant to kick start proceedings.  The process stalled however due to the tragic death of Ray Livingstone and the economic downturn caused by World War Two.  Five years after the idea of building a hut was first mooted, the Secretary of the Hobart Walking Club, the very pro-active Jack Thwaites, who at that time also worked for the Scenery Preservation Board, resurrected Ray Livingstone’s plan and brought it once again to the attention of the Scenery Preservation Board – the fore runner of today’s Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service.  Within twelve months, in 1946, the first hut at Lake Tahune was completed. Cliff Bradshaw, having initially investigated the site, provided the construction crew for the hut, namely Jim Williams and Les Legge, along with Cliff’s two teenage sons, Bern & Curly (Henry).   It took the four men just 21 days, (3 x week-long trips) to build the hut from a single King Billy Pine tree sourced from the edge of the lake.  The tools of the day were simple.  Initially the men attempted to carry a cross cut saw to the site but by the time they reached Lake Vera they had tossed it into the scrub as it was cutting them to pieces while carrying it.  The hut was fashioned with not much more than a hand saw, paling knife, axe and a hammer and nails.  It can only be marvelled at the mammoth task of using a simple hand saw to cut the King Billy blocks for splitting. When finished, the rustic hut featured a single window, a fireplace, timber flooring and a basic wooden table with a platform for a bed.  The Scenery Preservation Board funded the project at a total cost of £110.  Lake Tahune Hut #1 stood for 2 decades until it was destroyed by wildfire in 1966.

Following the destruction of Hut #1, it would take 5 years before another shelter was provided for walkers at Lake Tahune.  It came in the form of a hither-to untried but innovative concept  –  pre-fabricated materials delivered flat-pack style by helicopter and assembled on site. The Scenery Preservation Board worked closely with the Antarctic Division along with Burnie builders, Stirling and Livingston, to come up with a design which would withstand the harshest of weather scenarios. Among its specific features were rot-resistant Huon Pine foundations, fire-retardant walls and roof but above all it had to be blizzard proof.  The HEC, already in the vicinity investigating dam sites, provided staff to assist with the onsite construction. All transport, erection planning, and logistics for work on the Hut was conducted by HEC engineer Brian Collin.  A helicopter landing pad was built a short distance from the hut site to facilitate the delivery of the pre-fabricated sections and materials and from that point it took just 10 days to assemble the hut on site.   It was well insulated and furnished with dining tables, bench seats, a pot belly stove and bunks to accommodate 12 people. Lake Tahune Hut #2 was completed in 1971 and stood for 47 years. It cost $4200 to build and was funded by the Scenery Preservation Board.

The #2 Hut had served bushwalkers well for almost 5 decades and despite major renovations in the mid 1990’s, it was long overdue for replacement. Extensive major trackwork, upgrades and improvements on the Loddons in recent years has attributed to a massive increase in the number of walkers and Hut #2 had simply become too small to handle the visitors.

Lake Tahune Hut #3 materialised as the fore-runner of ultra-modern accommodation for bushwalkers after Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service enlisted the expertise of architects, Green Design from Hobart, and Westbury based builders, Valley Workshop, to create an innovative and environmentally sustainable design for the third hut to sit below Frenchmans Cap.

Hut #2 was demolished and removed to make way for Hut #3 with its ground breaking and futuristic design – again achieved through prefabrication off site with an on site building time of just 5 weeks to the completed hut. In April 2018 the Hut was officially opened by Dick Smith, but predictably, the weather gods played their part and chopper access was denied on the day necessitating the opening to be held in the Premier’s Reception Room in Hobart.

The new Hut boasts exceptional insulation in all areas with extensive use of fire resistant and low maintenance materials throughout while the external colour scheme cleverly reduces the hut’s visibility from the summit of Frenchmans Cap.  A remarkable addition to give comfort to the modern generation of bushwalkers is the installation of a hydro generator that provides heating and lighting for the hut which, amazingly, even has USB ports!   Capable of accommodating 26 people, the Lake Tahune Hut #3 cost $440,000 to build, although if the new toilet, helipad, tent platforms and trackwork was to be included, the total cost for the redevelopment of the entire Lake Tahune site would be in the vicinity $1 million.

It was funded by adventurer/philanthropist Dick Smith and Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service.

The concept and development of Lake Tahune Hut #3 has certainly raised the bar for future projects.  There’s no doubt it will have its critics who will argue that such “5 star luxury” is out of place in the Tasmanian bush – others will welcome it as a sign of increased commitment by the relevant authorities to the safe practice of bushwalking in the wilderness. 

Visitors to the Hut will find some creative interpretation by Fiona Rice (the consultant engaged by PWS for this project), including an interpretation panel detailing the evolution of the three generations of Lake Tahune Huts, and several historic quotes artistically engraved into the interior plywood panelling.  Each hut bunk has also been named after a character associated with Frenchmans Cap, and each of these entertaining character stories can be read in the accompanying hut storybook, “Whose bed are you sleeping in?”

Appreciation and thanks is hereby acknowledged for the assistance given by Fiona Rice,  (Interpretation Consultant), and Terry Reid, retired PWS Senior Ranger, relating to the information for this article.                                  (Written by Margaret Howe 2020)