Friends of the Franklin River (FoFR) – Sir John Falls Hut Update

Friends of the Franklin River

In early December Friends of the Franklin River members and Mountain Huts Preservation Society volunteers completed the fit out of the old Hydro hut near Sir John Falls on the Lower Gordon River. With new bunks sleeping up to 11 persons now installed, a new kitchen bench, two tables and bench seats also in place, the hut is now fully functional. Two new skylight panels have brightened up the hut and make it much more welcoming and a pleasant place to stay.

The window and door screening is nearly finished and was enabled by funding support from Hydro Tasmania’s Cultural Heritage Section. The internal painting is now finished in all main living areas. The hut has never looked so good!  Visitors are in for a real treat with the fully refurbished hut being a great addition to the area for many years to come.

From early March to mid-October 2020 a field camera recorded wildlife visitors to the site which will provide baseline data for future impact and wildlife monitoring at the site.

The FoFR group is planning a final volunteer work shift for late February – early March 2021 to focus on finishing off the external painting and to bring the refurbishment project to completion. If you are interested in being involved please contact FoFR branch president, David Clarke (imtstas@gmail.com) for more information.

FoFR group members are looking at setting up some crowd funding to enable a new roof to be installed – watch for more news about that! David says he is also interested to hear from group members about any other initiatives within the Franklin River catchment to pursue in future years.