Lake Tahune sits beneath the main face of Frenchmans Cap in south west Tasmania and the hut, nestled slightly above the lake, can be a real God send in bad conditions. While the old hut certainly did the job of providing a dry space to gather and sleep in an often cold and wet place, it was as if it was designed to ignore its surroundings.

This new one is certainly a lot nicer looking and it honours the magnificent terrain it is located in, with much larger windows and lots more natural light.

The Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service adds:

“In a first for a bushwalking hut in Tasmania, the new design is energy-efficient, using a micro-hydro system to power the heating and lighting, providing an environmentally-friendly alternative to flying in gas or coal for heating”.

“The locally designed and built, energy-efficient and sustainable hut is a great example of the expertise of our local industries and is a testament to the hard work of Parks and Wildlife Service staff throughout the project.”

This shift towards heating that doesn’t rely on fossil fuels is to be welcomed. Great work by the Parks Service.

It was co-funded through donations to the Wildcare Gift Fund by Dick and Pip Smith.

These photos come from the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service facebook page and were taken by Chris Crerar.