Victors Hut and Garden

[mjdalessa]

http://www.hobartwalkingclub.org.au/htm ... walks.html

On this web page a day walk is described to a place called victors garden. It mentions hut hut but theres a question mark next to that.

Anyone know anything or been to this place?

[bauera]

I haven't been there for a few years but there was clear evidence of previous usage in the area, although fires in the area may have impacted a couple of years ago. There was not much of the living structure left. Plenty of non-native plants and earthworks (walls etc). Worth a visit for curiosity's sake and you can spend a while wandering around what is left of the "garden". Track is clear enough.

[Swifty]

My goodness that goes back many years. I used to attend a high school at the top of Tolosa Street, from where we could see the roof of Victors Hut reflecting the sunlight from the lower slopes of Mt Arthur. We are talking 1977! Needless to say, we wagged school one afternoon and followed the fire trails in the general direction and found the place. It was decorated out with religious themes which changed every few months - Buddhist, Muslim, Christian at different stages, and yes there was a garden below, all fenced in. It was a double story hut, quite comfortable really. Heard a rumour that council eventually got the structure pulled down. I think we even met Victor there once, a special sort of guy.

[mjdalessa]

how exactly do you get there?

[Swifty]

We followed fire trails from the very top of Tolosa St up onto the lower slopes of Mt Arthur. The track was pretty poorly defined, but we found it eventually. Once we descended to it from the Lost World on Mt Arthur, which as you probably know is accessed from the Big Bend. It's a pretty horrible descent actually, lots of loose scree on the way down. If the roof has now gone (I have never seen it since about 1980) you may have a bit of trouble finding it now. I personally wouldn't go back there, it might remind me of how old I have become Good luck.

[mjdalessa]

How far is it from tolosa st.?

[Swifty]

Not so far up. Here's approx position as far as I can remember:
519300E 5252800N UTM55S - but I won't swear by it, give or take a few hundred meters.
Cheers

[flyfisher]

There was an article in a Tasmanian Tramp a few copies back.
I'll see if I can find anything of interest about the hut in there.

FF

[johnw]

I haven't been there. I've visited Mt Wellington and surrounds (Collins Bonnet) a couple of times. It's an interesting area with a lot of history. Any way I found this, which might be of interest if you haven't already seen it:
http://www.wellingtonpark.tas.gov.au/pdf/auditreportvol2web.pdf

Search the PDF for "Victor" or start at page 78 (The Temple)

[mjdalessa]

Which trails do I take?

[ben.h]

I've done a lot of exploring around Mt Arthur and I've never come across Victors Hut (intriguing!). Go and explore the area by all means though as Scout and Sama huts are well worth a visit anyway.

[ben.h]

... Once we descended to it from the Lost World on Mt Arthur...

Ah, so you followed "Old Hobartians Track" to get there?

[Son of a Beach]

Man, you guys had me confused. I've been following this topic and at first I thought it was about a boulder field on the side of Mt Wellington, then people kept talking about Mt Arthur. Of course Mt Arthur is near Launceston. Hence my confusion.

A quick look at theLIST sorted me out. Well... I never knew we had a second 'Mt Arthur' off the side of Mt Wellington. Thanks Nomenclature Board for the confusion!

[Swifty]

Marcus,
From the top of Tolosa St head up the 4WD fire trails. These will eventually lead up and left onto the small forested hill in front of the base of Mt Arthur. Popular with motorbike riders in those days. You will see ahead the lower slopes of Mt Arthur. Try and spot the "vegetation anomaly" if it still exists, as you won't be able to see the roof any more. We just headed in the general direction of the "vegetation anomaly". It lies toward the left hand spur of the ridge leading up to the Lost World atop Mt Arthur. Roughly in the red cirlce of the attached photo (can you guess the year this photo was taken? All the oldies should know...) is the position of Victor's place, also you have the coordinates.
benh.h we just bush bashed down from the Lost world.
Nik I also have been confused about Mt Arthur, but being from Hobart, in exactly the opposite way to you.

[SueOfTheSouth]

Victors Hut was burnt down several years ago. I have been there from the end of Lenah Valley Rd. There is a gravel road goes off to the right before crossing the creek at the end of the road. You follow this a short distance before heading up a ridge line to the old hut site. There used to be quite a pad to the old site but now you would probably have to follow the creek up that way, as there are a few houses built there and they may not be too keen on people passing by.

[mjdalessa]

The lenah valley route sounds like the way to go.
How long does it take?

[bauera]

I went from Kalang Ave, about 200m past the last house at the Lenah Valley end is a gate and vehicle tracks. Take the main track westwards(ish), ignoring all intersections, which will after about 1.5 km bring you to an open area at the bottom of a steep hill criscrossed with trail bike tracks, but fairly bare of other vegetation, barring some stunted shrubs. Up the top of the hill meet another vehicle track, turn left and continue up it to the top of the hill then descend. Stay on the vehicle track, ignoring the first right turn and heading steeply up hill after that. I think there is another right turn and from memory you should also ignore that and continue to the top of the hill (very steep). The vehicle track then continues on for a little way trending perhaps northish and downwards before intersecting another vehicle track. Turn left (south) down this track and continue to an obvious junction with (I think) a very short vehicle track which ends at a biggish tree only 20-40 metres from the junction. You can pick up the foot track to Victors Garden from here. It should be fairly obvious. I think it was only 30 minutes or so up the track to the garden. I reckon it would be about 2 hours walk one way all up, but it was a while ago and all this is approximate. I have done the walk as a round trip, coming out at the Lenah Valley Rd end as described but think it would be hard to pick up the track from that end. Good luck.

[PeterJ]

I will be going on a bushwalk to the area on Thursday 9 July for anyone interested. click for link