Kosciuszko Huts

Year Built: 1937

Alternate Name(s): Hughes

Condition: Burnt

HMO: Jagungal

Four Mile Hut

Four Mile Hut hut is located about 5Km south south east of Selwyns Quarry, and is an easy ski or walk from there, or 7Km from Kiandra.

Unfortunately, the hut was destroyed in the? January 2020 bushfires.

The hut is easy to find in an open plain, unless buried by snow as in the photo!

4 Mile Hut is a delightful camping spot with the hut providing shelter if the weather turns bad, with a table to eat on and room for 2 to sleep on the floor or bench. There is a nice permanent fire place outside with large logs for a seat. Permanent water is in the creek 50m to the east.

Brief History

The hut was built by Robert Hughes in 1937, and used as a mining residence for gold panners. It remains the only complete mining hut on the Kiandra gold fields.

For many years (until about 1981) there was a box of very live dynamite under one of the bunks, presumably to give any resident silly enough to light a really big fire in the hearth, a night to remember!

Four mile is a very popular ski destination, and has saved the lives of a number of people over the years. However, skiers should be aware that it is very small, and therefore not reliable shelter for parties un-equipped with tents.

Unfortunately, the hut was destroyed in the? January 2020 bushfires.?

Construction

This hut was made from anything left lying around, but its main elements included slab walls and floors and corrugated chimney and roof. Many of the from materials from former Elaine Mine which Hughes managed from 1926 to 1936.

Use of flattened five gallon cans is a feature. There is an external toilet and a pot belly type heater, in the old stone hearth fireplace, one of the key reasons it still stands. A unique feature is that a small leather washer was put under every nail used to hold the roof (and much of the timber work) together. A recent renovation team had to duplicate this work.

Caretakers were The Bogong Group in the early 1970s who undertook the first clean up and found the first dynamite. In 1978, Klaus Hueneke organised the first major restoration with members of KHA.

Value - Four Mile is one of the most critical huts in the KNP, both for historical reasons, and survival shelter.

Thank You, Bob Hughes (Song written and performed by Bob Guy)