Volunteer Day At McMichaels Hut.
Date, Wednesday the 16th of March 2022.
Trip Leaders; Greg Rose for LROCG and Wayne Foon for Parks Victoria.
Participants; Ellen, Parks Victoria Ranger, Heyfield, Land Rover Owners Club of Gippsland members, Bob McKee, Lois Rose, Ian Blake, Alan MacRae and Mal Trull.
In light drizzle, the participants for the day met at Licola and were on the way up to Kelly Lane by 9:15. We made steady progress up the hills into the Alpine National Park with Wayne and Ellen from Parks Victoria leading in the Mercedes G Wagon, towing a trailer loaded with the equipment we would need. Driving over the wooden bridge that crosses Shaw Creek our convoy of six vehicles, (2 Discovery 4s, a Land Rover Hardtop, an Isuzu MUX, a Land Cruiser 200 Series and the G wagon), bumped and splashed its way along Kelly Lane. Recent rain had scoured out the track making it a little slower to travel than normal.
On reaching McMichaels Hut we took time to have a tea or coffee, then a safety briefing, before unloading all the gear from the trailer. The serenity was soon broken, with brush cutters and mowers spluttering into life in the higher altitude air, then settling into a noisy rhythm as the long grass was brought under control. I felt totally out gunned using my battery powered Stihl brush cutter.
Ian Blake, our experienced fencer, set to work removing a damaged bollard near the hut and replacing it with a new one. Ian then moved to an area where the bollards and fencing we had previously erected, had been breached. The gap was filled with new posts. This area had been partitioned off to protect fragile plant species.
Lois, armed with a long grabber, gloves and a large bin bag picked up rubbish, often of an unpleasant nature, from around the hut and along the tracks.
After some brush cutting, I walked upstream from the hut, following a set of wheel tracks where someone had been driving through the grass and low scrub. The faint tracks took me to a beautiful section of the creek with cascading water and lichen covered rocks. This informal track has been noted and some sort of deterrent sign or bollards will be erected to stop, what is just one set of tracks, becoming a major management issue.
We had our lunch break in the hut to escape the heavier drizzle that had set in. The conversation ranged through topics like; getting bogged, recovering bogged vehicles, the merits of various Gippsland and online camping stores, 12 volt ovens, Thai food and food memories from a 1950s childhood. The latter showed our age and was a revelation to Wayne and Ellen.
Lunch concluded, we packed up and headed off to Kelly Hut. There was very little to do at the hut. Some rubbish was collected. Wayne explained the complex process of restoring and saving the hut. Due to its heritage status great care is taken to make the repairs fit in with the historic character of the hut.
Our work for the day was complete. We had achieved our goals. Wayne thanked the club for once again, contributing to the welfare and upkeep of the Alpine National Park. We exited Kelly Lane at the northern end and made our ways home.
Our club is now in its 11th year of working with Parks Victoria in some of the most beautiful parts of our state. Thankyou from me, as the club co-ordinator of these volunteer day, to all those who attended.
Thanks also to Wayne and the whole Parks Victoria Foothills and Southern Alps Team, who spend considerable time planning the activities for us and keeping us safe in the Park.
Greg Rose.
Land Rover Owners Club of Gippsland / Parks Victoria Liaison.
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