Liena Hut with its attached skin shed was relocated by MHPS from a property at Liena once owned by Ray “Boy” Miles.  The sawn timber shack resembles the huts of the sawmill era and was most likely transported to Boy’s Liena farm from one of the many sawmills which existed in the area in those earlier years.   Wayne Spaulding and Boy Miles were good mates and Boy assumed the role of Wayne’s mentor, teaching him the art of trapping and snaring on the Central Plateau.  Under Boy’s guidance, Wayne became as skilled as any and was soon supplementing his Forestry Dept salary with the lucrative income from the sale of skins for the fur trade.  Boy Miles gave Wayne Spaulding the use of the hut on his farming property.  Wayne modified it to include a fireplace and the tin chimney was accessed from a Forestry camp at the Arm River.  Initially, skins were pegged out to dry in the shack and although reasonably successful it did not prove totally efficient so Wayne decided to build on the traditional skin shed, complete with a central open fire to facilitate the smoking and drying process.  Wayne and his wife Marj eventually purchased the farm from Boy Miles and proceeds from the skins played a large role in paying for their property investment.

By the mid 1980’s snaring had been banned by the government and the Spauldings also moved out of the district.  With no further use for the hut and skin shed it  ultimately became run down over subsequent years.  Restoration of the hut was seen as a suitable project to be undertaken by the MHPS in conjunction with the Mole Creek Progress Association.

A development application was submitted to the Meander Valley Council and a planning permit approved in October 2010.  Working bees commenced early in 2011.  Early work saw the systematic dismantling of the old skin shed.  Wherever possible, original building material was used for the new work.  By early 2012 roofing iron had been fitted and the original split slabs had been replaced on the walls of the skin shed.  Work was then concentrated on the shack which included the addition of extra floor joists and framing timber, the fitting of structural bracing and ties and the cladding of the east and west walls.

The hut restoration and rebuilding process was completed on site at Liena by March 2013 and transported to the main street of Mole Creek for permanent display on 13th December 2013.  The entire project saw 35 members and friends of MHPS give varying amounts of time and effort totalling in excess of 1000 hours of voluntary labour.

On Sunday 31^st May 2015 on Pioneer Parade, Mole Creek, Liena Hut was officially opened before a large gathering of supporters and members. Special guests included previous owners Wayne and Marj Spaulding, along with Adye Rockliff, a fellow World War 2 POW veteran and friend of Ray Miles, Mayor Craig Perkins from Meander Valley Council and Patron and Life Member Charles Crowden.

Liena Hut  represents an example of a skin shed and provides a wonderful asset in promoting the significance and historical importance of the traditional practices of trappers and snarers involved in the fur trade.