NSW Nordic Ski Club
Four Mile Hut - Maintenance Trip
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Photo of 4 mile hut courtesy of Canberra XCSki Club.
On the weekend of May 5-6, a gathering of the faithful took place under a lowering sky at Mount Selwyn for the Club's annual maintenance trip out to 4 mile hut.
For those club members unfamiliar with the hut, Four Mile is a one bedroom hut built about 1937 by Bob Hughes, the last active miner of the mountains. He and his brother Bill were part of a group that drove the Elaine Mine at the head of Bloomfield Creek. The mine began in 1925 and folded in 1936 through lack of finance, a major fire in the worksheds and lack of gold. Bob then took timber and iron from the mine and built the hut, using it as a base for fossicking and rabbiting in the summer.
Four Mile has been cared for by our club for more than a decade and it retains its' importance as an emergency shelter in winter and as the last remaining miner's dwelling on the Kiandra goldfields.
The walk into the hut is a pleasant 1 hour stroll from Mt Selwyn with occasional views of Tabletop Mountain and Jagungal. Fortunately we had park permission to take in a vehicle and walked in unencumbered while Troy Meller drove our packs and gear in his Forester. Parking the car at Four Mile saddle left us only a 10 minute walk to the hut.
Most of the weekend was spent collecting and cutting wood to stock the woodshed. The end result was a stack of impressive - dare I say awesome - proportions. Other work performed included the repositioning of one wall of the woodshed, relaying riverstones on the woodshed floor and fixing spare iron to woodshed roof. Troy again figured largely in these jobs, given that he had had the foresight to bring along a small workshop of power tools. When he has a power drill in his hand, it's wise to step aside and let him get on with it.
On Saturday afternoon Ian Griffiths led us out to the site of Elaine Mine. Looking at the enormous mound of tunnel spoils one can only wonder at the hardship and toil involved by those who worked it.
The walk back from the mine in the setting sun was enlivened by a brief "detour" taken by the writer in the company of 2 members who wish to remain nameless. The prospect of spending a night al fresco did not appeal and through good management the track was regained.
Saturday night was spent enjoying red wine, smoked mussels, cheese and other delights in front of a blazing fire. Paul Jennings gave the mandatory rendition of bush poetry in his inimitable style and we then gave ourselves up to the arms of Morpheus for the night well satisfied with the day's labours.
Sunday was another cloudy and cool day. We again fell to collecting further wood and rendering into pieces that would fit into the stove. Troy kindly took measurements that will help us fashion a door for the woodshed and a shutter for the window on a future trip. All too soon it was time to pack the tent and sleeping bag and leave the silence and mountain air behind. I think I can safely say that we all enjoyed the brief stay and look forward to further trips out to "our" hut.
The Faithful - Garry Gow, Paul Jennings, Bob Horder, Troy and Leslie Meller, Ian and Alex Griffiths, Carl Bazeley, Arnold D'Bras, Nick Goodman and Olwyn Tavendale.
PS. Please keep me informed about the condition of the hut if you happen to visit it. If weather and time permits, please cut your own firewood.
I would ask everyone to exercise extreme care with fires - the stove can be hard to light but once going gives out a reasonable amount of heat. Although undoubtedly safer to use, it's not as cheery as an open fire and is not useful for cooking or even keeping your dinner warm.
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