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Falls Creek Historical Society
Photograph - King's Birthday Weekend 1936 on the High Plains
MEYER COLLECTION - FALLS CREEK PHOTOS In 1947 a determined group of like-minded State Electricity Commission (SEC) staff including Ray Meyer, the chief surveyor of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme, had a common interest that revolved around the skiing potential of the snow-covered high plains which included what is now the resort of Falls Creek. The six SEC employees, Toni St Elmo, Ray Meyer, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson (together with their families) banded together to secretly build a 'hut' that was the first ski lodge at Falls Creek. Using a road built in 1930s to gain access to Falls Creek, their hut project was carried out in secret as efforts by other skiers were blocked by H.H.C. Williams – the engineer in charge of the Hydro Scheme. In 1946 Ray Meyer made a trip to the Lands Office in Melbourne. He came away with a 99-year lease on three acres that was ideally suited for a hut designed by Lloyd Dunn. Adrian Ruffenacht (Design Engineer for the KHS) had suggested where the group should build because of easy access to a spring for water. Much of the building material required was scavenged from derelict huts on the high plains. Due to the need for secrecy, the determined group worked on the hut in the evenings and weekends to avoid detection. During the building period the group had met at Echidna Rock (now known as Eagle Rock) where Skippy St Elmo announced, "This is my favourite ‘Skyline’.” And so the first lodge in the area at Falls Creek Ski Resort came into existence. With the development of the International Poma in the 1970s, the Skyline Lodge, which was sited between the ski-lift’s pole one and pole two, was demolished. However, the legacy of Ray Meyer, Toni St Elmo, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson and Skyline lives on in the vibrant atmosphere of Falls Creek Resort. The MEYER COLLECTION documents developments on the Kiewa Hydro Scheme and their life at Falls Creek from the mid 1930s to 1960s.This image is significant because it depicts aspects of the life of a pioneering family of Falls Creek and the founders of "Skyline", the first lodge at Falls Creek.Three images taken on the King's Birthday weekend in 1936. Kelly's Hut and stockyards were built by Patrick J Kelly in 1901. In 1956 the hut was burnt down and replaced with a State Electricity Commission (SEC) hut moved from a nearby site. falls creek, bogong high plains, kelly's hut, kelly's stockyard, tom fitzgerald, perc semmens -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, George Campbell, 1944
George Campbell, AIF 23rd Garrison Battalion, Camp 13 Murchison Victoria. Guard, Army huts backgroundGeorge Campbell, 13th POW Group, 23rd Garrison Battalion AIF. Army huts.camp 13, murchison victoria, pow, george campbell, aif, 23rd garrison battalion -
Marysville & District Historical Society
Photograph (item) - Black and white photograph, Unknown
An early black and white photograph of George Locke's hut in the Cumberland Valley near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of George Locke's hut in the Cumberland Valley near Marysville in Victoria. George Locke was a well-educated young man and had some success prospecting in the Cumberland area before partnering with William Chester with whom he opened the Golden Bower gold mine in 1896. George and William then discovered a second reef which they named the Silver Bower mine. George lived in a log cabin in the Cumberland reserve and was known to be a loner. He was clever with his money and chose not to have a bank account in Marysville, where everyone would learn about his financial status. He banked at the ES&A in Fitzroy and at the time of his death in 1941 he had accumulated the princely sum of three hundred and sixty pounds. George Locke was known as "the Hermit of Cumberland Valley" and lived in his humpy until his last few days during which he moved into a Forest Commission's patrol hut because his old humpy had started to fall to pieces. When George passed away at the age of 81 years he had not visited Marysville for over 14 years. Today (2022) George Locke's hut is part of the Cumberland Reserve.Mr Lock hermit Joy Marysville 392george locke, cumberland valley, marysville, victoria, william chester, golden bower mine, silver bower mine, cumberland reserve, hermit of cumberland valley -
Marysville & District Historical Society
Photograph (item) - Black and white photograph, Unknown
An early black and white photograph of George Locke's hut in the Cumberland Valley near Marysville in Victoria.An early black and white photograph of George Locke's hut in the Cumberland Valley near Marysville in Victoria. George Locke was a well-educated young man and had some success prospecting in the Cumberland area before partnering with William Chester with whom he opened the Golden Bower gold mine in 1896. George and William then discovered a second reef which they named the Silver Bower mine. George lived in a log cabin in the Cumberland reserve and was known to be a loner. He was clever with his money and chose not to have a bank account in Marysville, where everyone would learn about his financial status. He banked at the ES&A in Fitzroy and at the time of his death in 1941 he had accumulated the princely sum of three hundred and sixty pounds. George Locke was known as "the Hermit of Cumberland Valley" and lived in his humpy until his last few days during which he moved into a Forest Commission's patrol hut because his old humpy had started to fall to pieces. When George passed away at the age of 81 years he had not visited Marysville for over 14 years. Today (2022) George Locke's hut is part of the Cumberland Reserve.george locke, cumberland valley, marysville, victoria, william chester, golden bower mine, silver bower mine, cumberland reserve, hermit of cumberland valley -
Phillip Island and District Historical Society Inc.
Photograph - Post Card, 1919-1920
Photograph of the Jetty Shed and Mr Cox's hut on the Cowes foreshore, Phillip IslandRose Series Postcard P673 showing Jetty Shed behind trees on the right and Mr Cox's hut on the foreshore.The Rose Series P673 "Near the pier Cowes, Phillip Island, Victoria" 1919-1920phillip island, cowes beach, mr cox's hut, the jetty shed cowes -
Lara RSL Sub Branch
Geelong Show Grounds 58 Battalion, WW1
Photos of 58th Battalion building huts at the Geelong showgrounds . J. R. Plain from Lara identified as the father of Mrs. J. BranchPhoto 58 Battalion building huts at Geelong showgroundsglossy photo mounted on CardboardBuilding Huts at the Geelong Show Grounds 4th from the left J. R. Plain 58th Battalion A.I.F Rear: Building huts at Geelong Show Grounds during WW1 Members of the 58th Batt No. 2225 AIF -
Orbost & District Historical Society
souvenir, C 1980's
Used as a tourist souvenir of Orbost. Possibly made and distributed via the Slab Hut (Orbost Visitor Information Centre) in 1980's/1990's.The souvenir is an important component of the tourist experience with most tourists bringing back mementos and souvenirs as evidence. Fridge magnets are popular as souvenir and promotional items because they are relatively cheap to manufacture and very portable for tourists. This item is an example of a typical souvenir of Orbost. A small flat rectangular fridge magnet with a colour photograph of the Slab Hut (Orbost Visitor Information Centre) on one side. The other side is grey/black, At the top of the coloured side is "SLAB HUT" and below is "ORBOST VICTORIA made in Australia".souvenir-orbost fridge-magnet -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Fortuna Family 1941/2
Fortuna family were internees in Camp 3A during WW2. Photograph is of the Fortuna family outside their hut. Photograph taken in 1942. Second copy of picture in file.Black and white photograph of 2 adults and 3 children standing in a garden in front of a hut. john fortuna, con fortuna, camp 3a rushworth, mafalda fortuna -
Kiewa Valley Historical Society
Newspaper article- Double page article. Pages 30 & 83 from the Herald Sun Newspaper. February 18, 2006 regarding preserving Victoria’s High Country Huts
The arrival of explorers Hume & Hovell in 1842 brought about the widespread clearing of land in the valleys for pastoral uses and the displacement the original inhabitants in the high country which became a boon for cattlemen due to extensive lush summer grazing for cattle. High country cattlemen built a variety of huts for shelter and storage, when driving cattle up to the plains in summer, during mustering and bringing the cattle down from the mountains before winter closed in. These same huts now provide shelter from the elements for hikers, bush walkers and skiers. Wallace’s Hut is the oldest of the Cattleman’s huts still standing in the Alpine National Park and is classified under the National Trust. Due to their age and the ravages of the elements, including bush fires, many of the huts have been destroyed, or are falling into disrepair. Groups of willing volunteers are now working to preserve as many of the huts as possible with restoration or rebuilding.The numerous cattleman’s huts of the Alpine National Park and the colourful characters who erected them represent a significant part of the history of the high country area and early cattle grazing, which has been the theme for many poets and film-makers alike. They also have a significant role in the early days of the SECV when they were used by surveyors and other workers for shelter and temporary accommodation. More recently the huts have functioned as shelter for hikers and skiers caught out in the elements and a refuge along the long trek for bush walkers. They are a popular attraction for tourists and feature prominently in much of the tourist information of the region. Black and white double page Newspaper article from the Herald Sun Newspaper of February 18, 2006 regarding the efforts of Mr David Oldfield to preserve Victoria’s remaining High Country Huts through his photography and efforts to restore old and Re-build missing ones. Article shows a photograph of David Oldfield and some of his photographic work of the huts. Page number and date printed at top of each page 30 Herald Sun, Saturday, February 18, 2006 Herald Sun, Saturday, February 18, 2006 83 cattlemen's huts; david oldfield; bogong high plains; wallace's hut; high country; alpine national park -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Camp 3 Wash House
Photograph depicts the huts in internment camp 3C and the one used as a wash house (not a laundry). 2 other copies in various sizes in file.Black and white photograph of a row of huts and some tall posts. Part of a fence in the bottom left corner.internment camp 3c, internment camp wash house -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Camp 3
Shows some of the layout of camp 3 huts and fences.Black and white photograph of some huts behind a dividing fence, with an entrance. In front of that is a row of white posts. Power poles running through on an angle.camp 3, camp 3 huts, gerd aberle -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Artwork, other - sketch, POW Camp 13 - Tents, 1941
Water colour sketch by internee Klober at Camp13. Depicts tents used early 1941 before the galvanised iron huts were constructed on site.Laminated watercolour sketch of many tents with huts and large gum trees in the background. Brown frame with gold edgecamp art work, camp water colours, klober, camp 13, internment camp tents -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Sisters Quarters Garden, Original 1942, copy 1989
WW2 Internment Camp hospital nursing staff garden at sisters quarters, Tatura Hospital Camp 1, May 1943 (Army huts). Foam backed copy in folder.Black and white photograph of the gardens in front of a hut in L shape. Dark door on left hand side.camp hospitals, camp 1, internment camps, tatura -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, Transport office Camp 13, 1950
Shows Army garrison huts in camp 13 Murchison. Taken by photographer for State Rivers and Water Supply Commission.Black and white photograph. Army huts - view looking down main street - transport office on left - poplars and telegraph pole rightvictorian state rivers and supply commission, camp 13, murchison, water commission camp, army garrison huts -
Bendigo Military Museum
Photograph - PHOTOGRAPH, NISSAN HUT, EAGLEHAWK, C.1957
This is a very early photo of the Nissan Hut which became the HQ of the Eaglehawk RSL Sub Branch officially opened in 1957. Refer Cat No 8118 Plaque re the opening & 8110 re Sub Branch History.Photograph B & W showing a Nissan Hut on a block, two men are standing in the far right corner.brsl, smirsl, ehrsl, photograph, nissan -
Orbost & District Historical Society
box of documents, 1980s - 1990s
These documents were used at the Slab Hut (Orbost Information Centre) from 1985 - 1992 to record l visitor numbers, employment, activities, events and incorporation details. The Orbost Visitor Information Centre is situated in Forest Park on Nicholson Street. The centre is housed in the historic Slab Hut. The hut was an original family dwelling built in 1872, on a site approximately three kilometres upstream from the junction of the Buchan and Snowy Rivers.These documents record the history of tourism in the Orbost district.A cardboard storage box of documents and records of the Orbost & District Tourist Association / Slab Hut. It includes minute books, visitor numbers, details of volunteers, correspondence and details of activitiess and events.tourism-orbost slab-hut-orbost -
Donald History and Natural History Group operating the Donald Court House Museum
Spectacles and case
Reading spectacles found in hut belonging to Georgie Ah Ling, who operated a market garden for about 70 years on the edge of the township of Donald. Round glass, gold coloured wire framed spectacles in a hard covered case lined with dark blue material. Gold and dark blue suppliers sticker, partly torn, on inside lid of case.Sticker on inside of case partly torn, but probably reads "W. R. Swaby F.V.O.A. Jeweller Donald". reading spectacles, hut, georgie ah ling, market garden, donald -
Orbost & District Historical Society
souvenir, C 1980's
Used as a souvenir of Orbost possibly made and distributed through the Slab Hut (Orbost Visitor Information Centre) in 1980's 1990's.The souvenir is an important component of the tourist experience with most tourists bringing back mementos and souvenirs as evidence. Fridge magnets are popular as souvenir and promotional items because they are relatively cheap to manufacture and very portable for tourists. This item is an example of a typical souvenir of Orbost. A white plastic souvenir bottle top opener possibly a fridge magnet. It is an elongated rectangular shape pointed at one end. It has a corkscrew embedde on one face with a screw top bottle opener on the other face. There is an image of the Slab Hut (Orbost Visitor In formation Centre) with "SLAB HUT ORBOST VIC" in brown print. A small magnet is embedded.souvenir-orbost -
Lakes Entrance Regional Historical Society (operating as Lakes Entrance History Centre & Museum)
Photograph, Rhonda Newberry, 1966
Hut contained water jug and basin, bathroom and toilet in main guesthouseBlack and white photograph showing basic tourist accommodation hut at rear of Gainsborough Guest House Jemmys Point with two door Volkswagon Beetle parked in front, Lakes Entrance Victoriaoil and gas industry -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph, German POW's
Photographer Hans Sznyta. Group photograph of German POW's in front of their hut in Camp 13.Black and white photograph of 10 Germans standing and 10 seated in front of hut which is behind a gum tree. Superimposed somehow is an Iron Cross. The photo was sent to their parents in Germany.camp 13, hans sznyta, german pow's -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Photograph - Ray Meyer, 1951
MEYER COLLECTION - FALLS CREEK PHOTOS In 1947 a determined group of like-minded State Electricity Commission (SEC) staff including Ray Meyer, the chief surveyor of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme, had a common interest that revolved around the skiing potential of the snow-covered high plains which included what is now the resort of Falls Creek. The six SEC employees, Toni St Elmo, Ray Meyer, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson (together with their families) banded together to secretly build a 'hut' that was the first ski lodge at Falls Creek. Using a road built in 1930s to gain access to Falls Creek, their hut project was carried out in secret as efforts by other skiers were blocked by H.H.C. Williams – the engineer in charge of the Hydro Scheme. In 1946 Ray Meyer made a trip to the Lands Office in Melbourne. He came away with a 99-year lease on three acres that was ideally suited for a hut designed by Lloyd Dunn. Adrian Ruffenacht (Design Engineer for the KHS) had suggested where the group should build because of easy access to a spring for water. Much of the building material required was scavenged from derelict huts on the high plains. Due to the need for secrecy, the determined group worked on the hut in the evenings and weekends to avoid detection. During the building period the group had met at Echidna Rock (now known as Eagle Rock) where Skippy St Elmo announced, "This is my favourite ‘Skyline’.” And so the first lodge in the area at Falls Creek Ski Resort came into existence. With the development of the International Poma in the 1970s, the Skyline Lodge, which was sited between the ski-lift’s pole one and pole two, was demolished. However, the legacy of Ray Meyer, Toni St Elmo, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson and Skyline lives on in the vibrant atmosphere of Falls Creek Resort. The MEYER COLLECTION documents developments on the Kiewa Hydro Scheme and their life at Falls Creek from the mid 1930s to 1960s.This image is significant because it depicts a pioneer of the Falls Creek area and one of the founders of Skyline Lodge.A black and white image of Ray Meyer relaxing on a cot (labelled SEC) in one of the huts in the Bogong area.ray meyer, falls creek, victorian snowfields -
Old Gippstown
Building - Miner's Hut, unknown
This hut came from the Tanjil goldfields, and was in use around 1900, and was the home of two miners on an old field. The township of Tanjil came into being above what is now the Blue Rock Dam, in about 1867.A small, rectangular bark hut with a bark roof. The fireplace and chimney are made of corrugated iron with stone base. It has a timber framework.tanjil, gold, mining -
Sunbury Family History and Heritage Society Inc.
Photograph, c1900
The huts along the railway line were built to house 'navvies' who worked on and maintained the Bendigo-Echuca railway line. At the time this photo was taken, work was being undertaken on the railway line in the Sunbury area.The Bendigo-Echuca was one of Victoria's earliest government owned and operated regional rail systems. It was an important link with the river traffic along the Murray and Melbourne.An oval shaped sepia photograph within cream border of a row of small huts along a railway line. With trees forming a backdrop. railways, 'navvies' -
City of Ballarat
Artwork, other - Public Artwork, Deanne Gilson, Murrup Laarr by Deanne Gilson, 2019
Murrup Laarr translates as 'Ancestral Stones' in Wadawurrung. This artwork by Dr Deanne Gilson is located in the North Gardens Indigenous Sculpture Park. The park is a significant project for the City of Ballarat and features works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, celebrating the richness and diversity of culture and telling important cultural stories. Dr Deanne Gilson is a Wadawarrung Traditional Custodian and established artist. She installed the first artwork commissioned by the City of Ballarat for the Sculpture Park in early 2019. Murrup Laarr is a contemporary artwork consisting of a traditionally-built stone hut in the middle of a circle of basalt standing stones, marked with ceramic plates reflecting the stories and symbols of dreaming, memory, ceremony.The artwork is of aesthetic and cultural, social and spiritual significance to the people of Ballarat and to Wadawurrung peopleA traditional hut made from river stone and stacked rocks, with the hut surrounded by large basalt rocks with plaques featuring unique designs on stoneware plates imbedded into them. Murrup Laarr (Ancestral Stones), 2019 / By Deanne Gilson / Wadawurrung people have always used stones to mark places of ceremony and important business. The stones are the holders of memory and knowledge, Country and Spirit. They mark the cosmos and seasons. They follow the sun, marking the summer and winter solstice, important dates for planting and harvesting and telling stories of past, present and future. / The stones are alive and still present. Murrup Laar has been created using local basalt stones to tell Wadawurrung stories of dreaming, memory and ceremony. / “Creating Murrup Laarr (Ancestral Stones) at this time has placed Aboriginal people and practices back on Country and created a place to tell our stories. I am very honoured to have had this opportunity. An Aboriginal stone circle existed in Ballarat pre-colonisation; by putting back what was lost throughout colonisation I pay homage to my ancestors, past, present and emerging”/ – Deanne Gilson, March 2019 murrup laarr, wadawurrung -
Donald History and Natural History Group operating the Donald Court House Museum
Bowl, Unknown Potter
Ceramic bowl found in hut belonging to Georgie Ah Ling, who operated a market garden for about 70 years on the edge of the township of Donald. Hand-molded blue and white ceramic bowl. Outside of bowl has underglaze blue decoration of flowers, leaves and Chinese characters. Saw toothed decoration, with one line underneath, around outside rim. Half moon shape lines, with two lines through them, decorate inside rim. Two lines around inside base with one Chinese character in centre of inside base.One Chinese character on inside base of bowl. Four Chinese characters and five plant symbols on outside of bowl. ceramic, bowl, hut, georgie ah ling, market garden, donald -
Phillip Island and District Historical Society Inc.
Photograph, George Cox, 1914
George Cox became the mailman ferrying to and fro Frankston to Phillip Island. He was granted a fisherman's license enabling him to live on the foreshore below the Isle Of Wight. Hut was roughly built of brick blocks and wood. He is dressed in cap, old trousers and coat over singlet.George Cox standing outside his hut right hand shading his eyes as he looks out to sea.local history, photographs, george cox, first mailman, phillip island, sepia photograph, mailman, arthur woodley, bruce bennett -
Orbost & District Historical Society
Postcard - post card, early 20th century
This postcard was produced as a black and white card titled, "Early 1900 - Bush Hut , Gippsland", in the early 20th century. The original card had a blank white rectangular strip on the right side of the photograph. This was for the message. There is little information with this item except for a note indicating that it was a hut at Newmerella. This is a pictorial record of a bark hut of the kind built by the early settlers of East Gippsland. Few early settlers could afford the time, or possessed the capital, to build any dwelling more impressive than a slab hut: Postcards form a vital part of social and historical records for researchers. A postcard showing a bearded man sitting on a stool outside a bark hut. There are various tools - a wheelbarrow and shovels, buckets, a panning dish and a saw hanging above him to the left. . It is in a bush setting and the photograph has been tinted.on back - POSTCARD - in red :"Essie & Ruby McKena. Emily Ville, Ascot Vale Road Flemington"dwelling-bush hut-bark -
Tatura Irrigation & Wartime Camps Museum
Photograph - copy, 1989 copy
Photograph is a view of Internment Camp 3 at Rushworth. The view is from the vegetable garden and tennis court, looking towards the huts. Camp 3 held Italian and German family groups. Black and white photograph. White posts in foreground leading to a gate entrance. Several army hut buildings behind fence. To the left of posts is a person sitting on a log.internment camp 3, rushworth victoria -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Photograph - John Meyer near Wilkie and Basalt Hill, 1949
MEYER COLLECTION - FALLS CREEK PHOTOS In 1947 a determined group of like-minded State Electricity Commission (SEC) staff including Ray Meyer, the chief surveyor of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme, had a common interest that revolved around the skiing potential of the snow-covered high plains which included what is now the resort of Falls Creek. The six SEC employees, Toni St Elmo, Ray Meyer, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson (together with their families) banded together to secretly build a 'hut' that was the first ski lodge at Falls Creek. Using a road built in 1930s to gain access to Falls Creek, their hut project was carried out in secret as efforts by other skiers were blocked by H.H.C. Williams – the engineer in charge of the Hydro Scheme. In 1946 Ray Meyer made a trip to the Lands Office in Melbourne. He came away with a 99-year lease on three acres that was ideally suited for a hut designed by Lloyd Dunn. Adrian Ruffenacht (Design Engineer for the KHS) had suggested where the group should build because of easy access to a spring for water. Much of the building material required was scavenged from derelict huts on the high plains. Due to the need for secrecy, the determined group worked on the hut in the evenings and weekends to avoid detection. During the building period the group had met at Echidna Rock (now known as Eagle Rock) where Skippy St Elmo announced, "This is my favourite ‘Skyline’.” And so the first lodge in the area at Falls Creek Ski Resort came into existence. With the development of the International Poma in the 1970s, the Skyline Lodge, which was sited between the ski-lift’s pole one and pole two, was demolished. However, the legacy of Ray Meyer, Toni St Elmo, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson and Skyline lives on in the vibrant atmosphere of Falls Creek Resort. The MEYER COLLECTION documents developments on the Kiewa Hydro Scheme and their life at Falls Creek from the mid 1930s to 1960s.These images are significant because they depict aspects of the life of a pioneering family of Falls Creek and the founders of "Skyline", the first lodge at Falls Creek.Two black and white images of John Meyer skiing near Wilkie and Basalt Hill, Bogong High Plains. Wilkinson’s Hut (Wilkie) was built for the SEC in the summer of 1932-3 to accommodate the snow research program manager. The cottage was sited next to a hydro-meteorological station, set on stilts above the snow. It was not a refuge hut but a permanent residence for all of the year. The work carried out there included operation of a meteorological station at the cottage, measuring the snow depth and density along two pole lines, and operating stream gauging stations in the area. The engineers stationed there included Adrian Rufenacht (1934-6), and Norwegian Martin Romuld (1936-42) Romuld was a champion skier, constructing a ski-jump and a grass tennis court near the hut during his residency. Adrian was one of the founders of 'Skyline". The hut was sold in 1948 to the Victorian Ski Club and renamed Wilkinson Lodge. Robert Wood Wilkinson, best known as 'Wilkie, was the 'Father figure' of Victorian skiing. Robert Wood Wilkinson died on May 22, 1939. The hut was resold some 12 years later to the Melbourne Bushwalkers club. In 1983, the National Parks Service described the building as an old SEC hut which had been purchased and, afterwards, maintained and occupied solely by the Melbourne Bushwalking Club. Wilkie Hut survived the 2003 bushfires but burnt down one year later (January 2004) in a cooking accident.falls creek, ray meyer, skyline -
Falls Creek Historical Society
Photograph - Joan Meyer at Bogong High Plains, 1947- 53
MEYER COLLECTION - FALLS CREEK PHOTOS In 1947 a determined group of like-minded State Electricity Commission (SEC) staff including Ray Meyer, the chief surveyor of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme, had a common interest that revolved around the skiing potential of the snow-covered high plains which included what is now the resort of Falls Creek. The six SEC employees, Toni St Elmo, Ray Meyer, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson (together with their families) banded together to secretly build a 'hut' that was the first ski lodge at Falls Creek. Using a road built in 1930s to gain access to Falls Creek, their hut project was carried out in secret as efforts by other skiers were blocked by H.H.C. Williams – the engineer in charge of the Hydro Scheme. In 1946 Ray Meyer made a trip to the Lands Office in Melbourne. He came away with a 99-year lease on three acres that was ideally suited for a hut designed by Lloyd Dunn. Adrian Ruffenacht (Design Engineer for the KHS) had suggested where the group should build because of easy access to a spring for water. Much of the building material required was scavenged from derelict huts on the high plains. Due to the need for secrecy, the determined group worked on the hut in the evenings and weekends to avoid detection. During the building period the group had met at Echidna Rock (now known as Eagle Rock) where Skippy St Elmo announced, "This is my favourite ‘Skyline’.” And so the first lodge in the area at Falls Creek Ski Resort came into existence. With the development of the International Poma in the 1970s, the Skyline Lodge, which was sited between the ski-lift’s pole one and pole two, was demolished. However, the legacy of Ray Meyer, Toni St Elmo, Jack Minogue, Lloyd Dunn, Adrian Ruffenacht and Dave Gibson and Skyline lives on in the vibrant atmosphere of Falls Creek Resort. The MEYER COLLECTION documents developments on the Kiewa Hydro Scheme and their life at Falls Creek from the mid 1930s to 1960s.These images are significant because they depict aspects of the life of a pioneering family of Falls Creek and the founders of "Skyline", the first lodge at Falls Creek.Two black and white images of John Meyer skiing near Wilkie and Basalt Hill, Bogong High Plains. Wilkinson’s Hut (Wilkie) was built for the SEC in the summer of 1932-3 to accommodate the snow research program manager. The cottage was sited next to a hydro-meteorological station, set on stilts above the snow. It was not a refuge hut but a permanent residence for all of the year. The work carried out there included operation of a meteorological station at the cottage, measuring the snow depth and density along two pole lines, and operating stream gauging stations in the area. The engineers stationed there included Adrian Rufenacht (1934-6), and Norwegian Martin Romuld (1936-42) Romuld was a champion skier, constructing a ski-jump and a grass tennis court near the hut during his residency. Adrian was one of the founders of 'Skyline". The hut was sold in 1948 to the Victorian Ski Club and renamed Wilkinson Lodge. Robert Wood Wilkinson, best known as 'Wilkie, was the 'Father figure' of Victorian skiing. Robert Wood Wilkinson died on May 22, 1939. The hut was resold some 12 years later to the Melbourne Bushwalkers club. In 1983, the National Parks Service described the building as an old SEC hut which had been purchased and, afterwards, maintained and occupied solely by the Melbourne Bushwalking Club. Wilkie Hut survived the 2003 bushfires but burnt down one year later (January 2004) in a cooking accident.falls creek, joan meyer, bogong high plains