Bluff Spur Memorial Hut – Annual Wood Chop

The annual Wood Chop is generally held in early May before the start of the snow season. As described below, the Wood Chop is a long standing and valuable tradition in the Pajero Club. Our Club has been involved with the Hut since it was first built in 1986.  If you haven’t been on the annual Wood Chop, come next year.   It is a great experience.

The Hut is located just below the summit of Mt Stirling on a ski trail between Telephone Box Junction and the summit.   We access the Hut via a 4WD “management only track”.  The Hut was built to provide shelter to hikers and skiers and anyone else caught on that mountain above the snowline.   Its location marks the position where two youths perished in a storm in 1985.  On 22 August 1985, two youths left their car at Telephone Box Junction to enjoy a day’s skiing on Mt Stirling.  The weather was reasonable so they left their jumpers in the car.  Later that day, the weather deteriorated into a blustery snowstorm with whiteout conditions.  They became disoriented and perished.   The following year, volunteers, including the Pajero Club, built the Hut.  Some of our members spent weekends laying the floor, constructing the bracing, insulating the floor, roof, and walls.  Floor tiles were laid and a potbelly stove was installed prior to the winter of 1987.  The hut was officially opened on 22nd May 1988.   In April 1989, the Club held its first Wood Chop when it cut and stored fire wood in the Hut ready for the 1989 winter.  The annual Wood Chop tradition has continued ever since.

This year, as per normal practice, some members drove to the Hut on the  Friday night, driving the 4WD track late at night and spent the night at the Hut.   Some slept in the Hut with the potbelly stove burning, others camped outside.   The rest of us left Melbourne around 6 am, breakfasted at the Mansfield bakery (another developing  tradition) and arrived at the Hut at 9.30am.   Some members brought trailers, others chainsaws and the rest of us brought our warm clothes and work gloves.  The weather was fine and warm this year whereas any weather is possible in May at the top of Mt Stirling.

When we arrived, some members had already taken a 4WD and trailer and were collecting wood from the surrounding snow gums and bringing it to the Hut where the rest of us chainsawed it into blocks suitable for the pot belly stove.  All the cut wood was progressively stacked in the Hut ready for winter. It seemed not long after we started work that Wendy had cooked scones in  the camp oven on Bill  Mead’s campfire so we all stopped work for a while and downed coffee with hot scones, ream and jam.    After some more wood collecting, sawing and stacking, it was lunch time so we all sat around Bill’s fire again and made coffee using the various hot water pots and billies on the fire.  By 4PM all the wood was cut and stacked.

_{This year Barry Ellis, Brian, Kelsey} & Travis McLaughlin and Bill Mead spent most of the day repairing the Hut.   Brian had brought from Melbourne a fibreglass water tank to replace the old gal tank.  In addition to replacing the tank, they rebuilt the wooden tank stand and made repairs to the Hut’s veranda.

During the day all members worked at their  own  pace, doing what they could, helping each other and working as a team.   It is always an enjoyable day with a sense of purpose and fulfilment.  By 6PM most of us started the return trip while some elected to spend another night at the Hut or in the surrounding area.

Don’t forget to come next year.  It’s an enjoyable day and useful worthwhile tradition.

Doug Hammerton (570)