A project of the Friends of Mount Field during 2016 and early 2017

The photo below taken by Trevor Norris shows the helicopter collecting the timber for delivery to the Lake Belcher and K Col huts hut on 18 April 2016

The Grant

The K Col project was made possible by a grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund in November 2015 of $3442. Scheduled completion date 31 May 2016

We received the funds in late 29 January 2016 and at this point timber was ordered and once delivered had to allowed to dry for some weeks, to ensure that it met the weight requirements for helicopter lifting. We experienced delays in gaining helicopter use and PWS staff both because of the fire emergency in Tasmanian over the summer.

The timber was helicoptered to the site on 18 April 2016, but this meant that the tasks of installing the timber were constricted and, although a start was made before winter set in, it was not possible to meet the projected timeline.

It takes a considerable number of hours to get to and from the sites and there is limited daylight outside the summer months, as the hut is in high country and also, we cannot paint the timber until warmer weather, as it does not dry if temperatures are below 10 degrees.

There was not enough time in the days after walking there and getting to the sites is difficult because of winter ice and snow conditions. An extension to the end of February 2017 was granted to get the job completed.

The story following timber delivery.

Soon after the timber was dropped off at K Col, Greg walked in to put the timber inside the hut for safekeeping from the weather. Then with a fine day finally coinciding a trip was made, at the beginning of June, to commence the lining. It normally takes about 1 ½ hours from the ski tows to walk to the K Col saddle and involves several sections of boulders, the most difficult of them on the descent from the Rodway Range. However, on this occasion, after a cold clear night, conditions were very icy requiring great care and it took 2 hours to get there. With short daylight hours we had to start back by 3PM, so time there was more limited than in the summer months. Fortunately, a lot of the ice had melted and we made much better time

The hut is A framed with an upper sleeping platform. The existing interior wall lining is Masonite and is quite warped and stained and does not look very good. One side of the bottom section was relined and most of the old Masonite cut to fit behind the new Tasmanian Oak tongue and groove boards. One end met at a straight edge but the other finishes at a sloping stone wall necessitating shaping the boards to the rock.

An aluminium sign was placed on the wall in acknowledgment of the grant obtained from the Tasmanian Community Fund that paid for the timber and helicopter use.

With the return of longer days we ventured out in November 2016, and a very good days work was put and the finished walls looked very nice and appropriate for a bush hut, even so there was one side of the loft remaining to do. Zelko and Greg B did the down stairs remaining wall whilst Greg K was in the cramped loft, which meant lying on his side to work.

Some of the varnishing was carried out. This left one more day to complete the job

The final day

It was delightful on the roof of Tasmania with great views from the Rodway Range in mid December 2016. We were early on this sunny morning on the way to K Col to complete the timber lining of the F.A. Bobs Peterson Memorial Hut.

The upper two strips of the lining for the ground floor required cutting out parts to fit the hut frame, so the work was more intricate and of course the loft is such a cramped space. Greg took on the loft task which meant lying on his side and some really hard to get at spots for hand nailing.

Wherever there was a free area the varnish was added; there wouldn’t be too many carpenters who would put up with someone with a brush working on close proximity to whatever they had just a moment ago finished. But efficient use of resources and time were paramount. In between there was time to paint the front door which with the conditions on the saddle was in considerable need of a spruce up

The job was completed soon after 3 pm and we back on the track soon after.

The track over the Rodway range is noticeably worn over the softer parts; that is when not on all the rocks up there. One annoyance that been present on all the excursions is the left behind tissues, especially the closer you get to the track start, and we do wish visitors would carry a small plastic sealable bag to take their damp tissues with them.

Summary

During the various occasions, we have worked on the hut for this project there has been a reasonable number of walkers passing and many stopped by. All that commented were very complimentary and thought it was a vast improvement. The hut is now quite swish for a structure in such a wild and exposed location and we are quite proud of the achievement. We think the original builders would be pleased to see it in such good condition.

The new wall lining . The middle photo is the loft and the other two on the ground floor.

The work resulted from a Tasmanian Community Fund grant at the end of 2015, but circumstances arising from the logistics of obtaining timber and getting onsite together with the fires of that summer meant work could not really get underway until this 2016-17 summer.

The timber was helicoptered to the site on 18 April 2016. As it takes at least 5 hours just getting to and from the site it leaves a limited amount of daylight outside the summer months for working. The hut is in high country and we cannot paint the timber until warmer weather, as it does not dry if temperatures are below 10 degrees.

Summary

It takes quite an effort to get to the Lake belcher Hut and it was pleasing to have it finished in no more than two trips. The timber should now last several years, but will need repainting before long. The colour used was not the traditional Mission Brown, but plain brown, but it looks fine.

The Final Day

It is not often that we walk to the Lake Belcher hut twice in the one month, in fact it would probably be a rarity for anyone to do so. Nevertheless, that is what happened in our quest to replace some of the wall timber and repaint the hut. It is in the high country and we can only paint the timber in warmer weather, as it is very slow to dry if temperatures are below 10 degrees. But the main reason for our rush was to fulfil a grant obligation.

The work resulted from a Tasmanian Community Fund grant at the end of 2015, but circumstances arising from the logistics of obtaining timber and getting onsite, together with the fires of that summer meant work could not really get underway until this 2016-17 summer.

The timber was helicoptered to the site on 18 April 2016. As it takes at least 5 hours just getting to and from the site it leaves a limited amount of daylight outside the summer months for working. An extension to the end of February 2017 was granted to get the job completed.

There were three of us on this visit and each walked in at their own pace and this did mean that one could stop when they pleased and it made the walk a quite pleasant experience, more so than usual. The flowers and scenery were ever so nice and the temperature very comfortable. The bog in the Belcher valley, however, could not be considered pleasant at all.

Greg Kidd and I were most impressed that Peter O’Hern also came along again, even though he had to leave earlier than us. An admirable contribution we reckon. The surprising thing was that we got to the site quicker than last time; hard to nut that one out. Greg actually took less than 2 hours.

As for the work, all the planned new boards were installed and painted. The paint just made the distance with the raw timber soaking it up very quickly. The new boards from both the excursions only got a single coat, so will need a second sometime in future; but not this summer.

The work on both the Belcher and K Col huts is now complete and the money all spent. It has been a project driven by the desire of Greg Kidd to preserve and improve the huts, and those people liking huts owe a debt of gratitude to Greg. If it wasn’t for him it is unlikely the Friends of Mount Field would have undertaken the task.

The First Day

With 2 ½ hours at best to get there, part over a wet and muddy moorland followed by a long bush track that seems to go on forever and capped off by a very muddy buttongrass plain, takes quite an effort. But then it all must be repeated in reverse and that puts repairing the hut at Lake Belcher high on the list of our hardest assignments; self-inflicted of course.

This is probably the reason people only come once on working bees at the hut.

The areas with poor walking conditions has an additional unfortunate aspect, because the effort in negotiating the track reduces one’s time and inclination to take in the surroundings. Wombat Moor can be particularly attractive when the flowers are at their peak and has good views of Mount Mawson and surrounds, whilst in the valley of Lake Belcher the cliffs and peaks rise dramatically above, and numerous Pencil Pines dot the landscape.