Jun 01 2014

Shrine to the man from snowy river

“There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
that the colt from old Regret had got away,
and had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
so all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight…” – A.B Paterson

The poem is well known; almost any Australian can recite the first couple of lines as their mind turns to images of our past, of bullock teams, working the land, and the famous high country depicted the 1980s movie The Man from Snowy River.

The most iconic image coming from that movie would have to be Craig’s Hut.

Craigs Hut (c) Jess Fleming

Craigs Hut (c) Jess Fleming

ch4The hut was built in 1981 as a film set for the first Man from Snowy Riverfilm. The hut itself was named after the male lead Jim Craig, played by Tom Burlinson. He lived there with his father, Henry. Jim is orphaned when his father is killed in an accident caused by brumbies spooking a horse and has to leave the mountains and prove himself a man. On the way he meets Banjo Paterson, who urges him to work for squatter Mr Harrison.

Jim falls in love with Harrison’s daughter Jessica, played by Sigrid Thornton, in a land as untamed and as beautiful as they were; but he loses her. To win her back he rides into the mountains to catch the colt from Old Regret who had been turned loose.

This is easier said than done for he has to overcome stiff competition from other mountain riders, negotiate the harsh mountain scrub and ride down what seems like an almost-vertical descent.

Jim's daring ride

Jim’s daring ride

He succeeds; returning the colt and many other wild brumbies to the yards, kisses the girl of his dreams and rides off into the sunset.

Jim Craig & Jessica Harrison

Jim Craig & Jessica Harrison

Visiting the hut

A visit to Craig’s Hut, situated on the Clear Hills east of Mount Stirling, is an essential pilgrimage for many Australians. Going up into the mountains to see Craig’s is akin to visiting a shrine – once there many bow their heads slightly. They stand still and, if they say anything, they do in hushed tones. Such is the reverence placed on the spirit of The Man from Snowy River…

The dramatic location of the hut, situated on an extremely open ridge and vulnerable to the elements, was perfect for the setting of a house for the movie.

Craigs Hut (c) Jess Fleming

Craigs Hut (c) Jess Fleming

No cattleman in their right mind would build in that location – exposed and not close to drinking water -but it was an ideal site for the film to convey an awe-inspiring sense of the mountains to an adoring audience. The views from the hut have to be experienced as they extend over spur lines, ridges and valleys below.

The original hut built for the movie also featured a stable and a round yard. It was burnt down in the 2006 bushfires and then rebuilt after high public demand. The rebuilding caused some controversy as it altered the original, but it is still loved and worshipped by many.

This points to just how significant Banjo Paterson’s poem is and how it and the film have become imbedded within our national psyche.

Craigs Hut (c) Jess Fleming

Craigs Hut (c) Jess Fleming

Getting there

To get to Craig’s Hut, Travel from Mansfield along the Mt Buller Road towards Mt Buller. Turn left at the Mount Stirling Road which begins at the toll gate at Mirimbah -this leads to Circuit Road. Mansfield to Mirimbah is approximately 32 kilometres. The Circuit Road complete round trip starting and finishing at Mirimbah is about 80 kilometres, including a 10 kilometre return detour to Bindaree Falls. The toll gate at Mirimbah only operates during the snow season. There is no charge for access outside the snow season. Circuit Road is trafficable by 2WD, though it can have some rough sections. Circuit Road and many of the tracks in this area are subject to seasonal road closures.

Roads in State Forest and National Park are closed to vehicles from the Thursday after the Queens Birthday long weekend in June until the Thursday before the Melbourne Cup weekend in November. It is only a 4WD access track up to the hut, so if you are in a 2WD you can park your car at the bottom and walk the 1.7km up to the hut. The walking track has some steep sections but is manageable with a reasonable amount of fitness. At the hut there are two drop loos as well as a few picnic tables. There are also a few different areas for camping but they prefer you not to sleep in the hut expect for emergencies.

Another beautiful spot in the high country for a picnic, and a drive around the 4WD tracks. Chuck in your swag, sleep under the stars and lap in all the spirit of the high country and the mountain cattlemen from previous generation.

REMEMBER to never take the mountains for granted, as the weather conditions can change in minutes so be prepared for everything.

Story and photographs by Jess Fleming. Movie title and screenshots Hoyts Australia

May 15 2014

Wallace’s Hut

“Mountain huts conjure images of stockmen crouching round a roaring fire with smoking pipes in their mouths and mugs of sweet, steaming black tea in their hands, while outside the wind howls, the cattle huddle together under the snow gums and the horses whinny restlessly.”

Wallace’s Hut is the oldest cattlemen hut in the Victoria High Country, situated 8km from Falls Creek along the Bogong High Plains Road. 

It was built by the Wallace Brothers; Arthur, William and Stewart. They arrived as small boys in Melbourne after the family moved here from Ireland in 1869 with their parents, David and Henrietta Wallace.

Their father bought a large amount of land out at Kergunyah near Beechworth as well as grazing land on the banks of the Kiewa River, giving the family 400 hectares for their cattle. Once the boys were old enough, the family followed the local squatters’ custom of taking their cattle up the mountains for the spring and summer to fatten the mob, while their home pastures recovered from the previous winter.

During the spring of 1889, the brothers took a mob of cattle up to the Bogong High Plains.

The boys were strong, energetic and young. In their spare time they decided to build a hut where they were able to shelter from the extreme mountain weather. As Bogong High Plains is quite exposed, the boys chose their hut site carefully so they were sheltered from the weather and wild winds as well as being close to fire wood and fresh water. The spot the boys chose meets this criteria, nestled among the twisted snow gums and a rocky outcrop behind the hut.

wallaces1

Even today you need to be almost 35 meters away before you can see it, Wallace’s Hut was affectionately called ‘Seldom Seen Inn’ by early bushwalkers and cross-country skiers because of its isolation and that it was so well hidden by the snow gums.

Although the brothers only had basic tools, they were excellent bush carpenters. They were able to cut a track through the thick alpine scrub to a branch of the Big River to get good, straight Mountain Ash that was suitable for the roof shingles. They spilt the trees on the spot and then carted them back up to the site on the pack-horses.

All six upright posts, wall plates and the slabs of the hut were hewn from the nearby snow gums. For the back of the fireplace inside the hut, the brothers hauled a huge flat stone on a rough sleigh made from a forked sapling. They made the roof steep so that the snow wouldn’t settle heavily on it during the winter months.

It took the brothers 6 weeks to completely finish the hut, that, when it was done, measured 6.3 by 3.5 meters.

These days the hut sits much shorter than it did originally due to it slowly sinking into the boggy alpine soil. It said that the hut originally stood at least another foot higher than it does today.

To enter the hut you pull the string hanging through a hole at the lower right of a tiny window in the split-paling door. This releases a latch and the sunlight spills in; revealing an unusual split-slab and rammed-earth floor, a rough table of mountain ash on snow-gum legs and the fireplace at the far end as well as one small window looks towards the distant Mount Kosciusko.

The interior of Wallaces Hut (c) Jess Fleming

The interior of Wallaces Hut (c) Jess Flemingigh 

The names of cattlemen who first used the hut are burnt into the tie-beams of the roof and at the back of the mantlepiece: William, Arthur and Stewart Wallace, Kyran Marum, Jack Damm, Jack Platt, the McNamaras, the Faithfulls and Harry Case. Some still live and move cattle around the high country.

The men would have hung their oilskins and hats on the nails behind the door, rested their hot Billies on the snow-gum brackets above the fire and relaxed on the corner seat carved from a snow-gum branch.

The Wallace family’s lease expired in the late 1930s and the hut was bought by the State Electricity Commission to house one of its employees working on the Kiewa Hydroelectric Scheme. The SEC covered the old shingles with iron, and later on the walls and chimney as well, and they added a lean-to.

Wallace’s Hut is now owned by the Crown and maintained by Parks Victoria. It is on the Historic Buildings Register and is classified by the National Trust. Visitors are welcome to call in at the hut but due to its great age sleeping in the hut is discouraged except in an emergency.

Its setting is the perfect spot for a picnic, as well as an ideal spot to sit and soak in all the history of the cattlemen that have previously sat by a roaring fire. You may even be lucky enough to spot some of the Bogong High Plains Brumbies roaming around the area.

Story and photographs – Jess Fleming. See our other hut stories.

May 12 2014

Young songstress – Sami

Sami Cooke might not be a name that springs to mind when you think of the cornerstones of Australian country music, but the 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Young in NSW is certainly one to watch as she builds a solid and loyal following around the country.

While she captivates her audience with her approachable personality and natural stage presence, it’s her vocal ability beyond her years and her song writing that has been well recognised within the industry.

Sami at the Old Canberra Inn, Lyneham.

Sami at the Old Canberra Inn, Lyneham.

“I’m an Aquarius and so maybe this is where I get my creative side from – or maybe from my Dad as he plays the guitar and sings, but won’t get up on stage with me any more as he said it was scary.” Sami says. Singers that inspire her include Delta Goodrem, Celine Dione, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride, Aylese Simmons, Sara Evens, Joanna Hemara and Keith Urban to name just a few. “I love all sorts of music from Bon Jovi to musical theatre but my love is Country. I am open to learn, listen and sing all types and styles; adding a bit of my own self to the sound.” Sami, at just 15, participated in an anti-bullying program for schools called Stop Bullying …Try Music. “I’ve always had two main thoughts with my music – one to make it my career – the other to be able to help people with my music. Stop Bullying…Try Music was a wonderful opportunity to be part of.” She continues to support that initiative and is also a strong supporter and a voice for Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect).  2014 is Sami’s breakthrough year. She attended her third Tamworth Country Music Festival and chalked up some 36 gigs in only 12 days; receiving rave reviews of her performances.

Sami & Bill Chambers Photo: Bob Mcgahan

Sami & Bill Chambers   Photo: Bob Mcgahan

Pausing briefly in Canberra to celebrate her 18th birthday and launch her new independent album, she followed that by opening for country legend Bill Chambers the next day. She then embarked on a gruelling two-month tour of Victoria with her mother, performing more than 25 concerts in 22 towns across Victoria and southern NSW. “It is hard to believe that it was only 2 months as it feels like years with the amount of stuff we fitted into such a short amount of time,” Sami says of the Victoria tour. “It was amazing to see so much of the country and to meet so many people from all walks of life, and of course that they loved my music.”

Sami with her mum and dad at an Easter Sunday concert in Canberra.

Sami with her mum and dad at an Easter Sunday concert in Canberra.

Sami says she couldn’t have got here without her family. “My family have been such huge supporters of my career, driving me to concerts, jamming at home, my brother joining me on stage to play bass at some concerts and my mum joining me for my Victorian and Queensland tours. I’m truly blessed to have them.” Sami managed to slow down for a couple of weeks at home, interrupting her rest only to perform one concert in Canberra on Easter Sunday. She is now on a four-month Queensland tour from May to August to promote her album.

With her energy matched by her voice, Sami is an artist to watch out for! You can buy her album and follow her on facebook.

sami-album

May 06 2014

Long Plain Hut

One of the most accessible huts of the NSW high country, Long Plain Hut stands proudly more than 100 years since being built.

Grazing along the Long Plain may have started as early as the 1830s; by the turn of the century some 22 large ‘snow leases’ had been established. Arthur Triggs of Yass held the Long Plain lease, an area of 28,000 hectares, in 1909. Triggs at one stage owned 12 stations and more than 300,000 sheep across NSW. His leases in the high country included Long Plain, Gooandra and part of Currango Plain.

Fireplace inside Long Plain Hut

Fireplace inside Long Plain Hut

By 1916 Dr Albert Campbell of Adelong obtained a few thousand hectares of the Long Plain lease. Bobby Joyce built what is now known as the Long Plain hut for Dr Campbell.

Timber for the hut was sourced locally from the Cumberland Mountain sawmill on the north west of Long Plain. The original timber shingle roof failed during the first winter, and was replaced with corrugated iron before the next winter set in.

The hut was originally known as Campbells but went by other names including “Oddy’s” and “Ibbotson’s” hut – like many high country huts their names come from either who built them or who was living in them at the time.

Rear of Long Plain hut

Rear of Long Plain hut

The large size of the hut (7m x 11m) afforded more room for dancing than the Rules Point Hotel just 4km down the road, so it was not uncommon for the hotel’s piano to be taken, along with drinks, by dray to Long Plain hut. One of the largest was held to celebrate the end of World War 1.

Rabbits

During the late 1930s rabbit trappers often occupied the hut. Rabbits, introduced in 1859, had reach plague proportions and the main control was trapping or shooting. During the great depression the trapping of rabbits supplemented wages or, in some cases, was the only source of income.

Gold

Joseph York worked a small gold mine to the north of the hut until his death in 1898 (aged 82). Yorkie’s Hut (ruins) and grave are located to the north-west of the existing building.

The mine area was reworked in the 1930s by locals Tom Taylor and Bill Harris using hydraulic sluicing. Many others worked the site over the years and Jemmet’s Hut and a tent village was located in the area. Some relics of these workings can still be found along Long Plain.

Inside Long Plain hut

Inside Long Plain hut

Occupation

1916 – Long Plain Hut (Campbell’s homestead) built.
1917 – Bill Oddy becomes manager of the Long Plain lease.
1939 – Colin Ibbotson occupied the hut through to 1959.
1960 – Jessie and Fred Bridle lived there while fencing.
1960s – Alvy Oddy held the last lease until the late 1960s.

Building construction

Long Plain Hut is constructed of timber and lined with a wooden floor. There are four main rooms and a verandah. The chimneys are mud mortared rock with iron flues. An old privy stands nearby, along with a NPWS standard issue toilet.

Getting there

Turn off the Snowy Mountains Highway onto Long Plain Road. Approximately 3km along is a turnoff to the hut, found a further 2km along a well-maintained side track.

Long Plain Road is closed between the June and October long weekends.

Facilities

There is no accommodation within the hut, but it is open for you to view. There is a campsite nearby with pit toilet, and horse yards alongside a second campsite.

Story and photographs – Andrew Hennell. See our other hut stories.

 

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