Out of all the huts in the Victorian Alpine region, Wallaces Hut is one of my favorites; its a hut I have visited on many occasions and is something I will never tire of. Built in 1889 from slabs of snow gums with roof shingles made from woollybutt it is the oldest hut in the Alpine National Park. Wallaces hut was frequently referred to as the Seldom Seen Inn as it is located among a grove of old snow gums, however it is easily accessed by a short walk from the Bogong High Plains Road approximately 7.5 km from the rocky valley dam wall at Falls Creek.
The photograph below was taken on a particularly chilly morning during late spring after a night of light snowfall.
An old Parks Victoria sign at the hut which has now been replaced gave an evocative description of the location. I have repeated the text below.
It’s the 1890’s… David Wallace and his three sons Arthur, William and Stewart had recently built the “Seldom Seen Inn”. They made the hut as a shelter for their visits, when they mustered their cattle off the high plains before the winter snow.
Sitting around the open fire with a cup of billy tea they’d recall their days.
Like when the lean-to door was left ajar and a cow got stuck inside and died!
Or when William was stuck here in bad weather and there was no dry firewood!
With numb hands, a knife and patience, a fire was made…necessity being the mother of invention.
No easy access through the high country in those days, just rough tracks made by cattle and the few bush characters who came here.
If ever you find yourself at Falls Creek take the time to visit Wallaces Hut, its certainly something you won’t regret.
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