No hut is forgotten when it comes to renovations. Humble six-bunk Wheel Creek Hut, located in Victoria Forest Park, was given a major spruce-up recently.

Five DOC staff and a volunteer completely repiled the 1960s hut, refurbished the roof and put on a fresh coat of paint.

“The object was to protect this hut for generations to come, while leaving the hut in the original condition,” DOC ranger Matt Ainge said. 

A subfloor was put in the porch for stacking firewood, and a front step was added to improve access. Large rocks were stacked under and around the entire fireplace structure to help future stabilisation.  

The roof was removed, wire brushed, primed and painted before going back on.

“This job was a complete labour of love, and it was great to have a range of people from different teams sharing knowledge, learning from each other and working together towards a common goal: protecting and maintaining the backcountry for all to enjoy,” Ainge said.