HERITAGE NOOSA
HERITAGE NOOSA
Harry's Hut
DETAILS
Description
Harry's Hut was constructed in 1957 by Alan Buchanan and Norman Thrush to accommodate timber getters who, because of the nature of their employment, had to remain in the bush for up to a week at a time. The timber getters had semi-permanent campsites at their actual work sites, but it was decided that a more permanent structure would be an advantage, especially during times of heavy rainfall. The timber getters were employed by Samuel McKinnon and Percy Smith, who traded as Tewantin Sawmills. Hewn logs for transport to the sawmill would be dragged from the eastern side of the river where the logging took place, to a stockpile on the other side of the river before being taken to the mill by truck. A winch near the hut, built by Alan Buchanan, was used to pull the logs across the river.
Harry Spring was a pharmacist, with shops in Cooroy and Pomona. He is remembered as a well-respected citizen particularly through his philanthropy, which included assisting needy school children with their education by way of offering bursaries. He liked to escape from his professional responsibilities when he could, to fish for bass in the more northern reaches of the Noosa River.
Spring and his friends were in the habit of pitching a tent adjacent to the hut and in the 1960s, after logging ceased, he purchased the hut from Samuel McKinnon and arranged a lease from the then Forestry Department. Harry Spring died at the age of 92 years in 1999 and the lease on “Harry's Hut’ reverted to the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Department.
During his ownership of the hut, Harry Spring extended the simple one-roomed arrangement by connecting the open galley to the hut by a roof made from iron taken from an old slaughterhouse and adding flooring to connect the areas. He used the ingenious method of including beer bottles in the foundation to achieve this. He also added a verandah, using local timber in its construction.
Harry's Hut is part of the Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park.
Harry's Hut was constructed in 1957 by Alan Buchanan and Norman Thrush to accommodate timber getters who, because of the nature of their employment, had to remain in the bush for up to a week at a time. The timber getters had semi-permanent campsites at their actual work sites, but it was decided that a more permanent structure would be an advantage, especially during times of heavy rainfall. The timber getters were employed by Samuel McKinnon and Percy Smith, who traded as Tewantin Sawmills. Hewn logs for transport to the sawmill would be dragged from the eastern side of the river where the logging took place, to a stockpile on the other side of the river before being taken to the mill by truck. A winch near the hut, built by Alan Buchanan, was used to pull the logs across the river.
Harry Spring was a pharmacist, with shops in Cooroy and Pomona. He is remembered as a well-respected citizen particularly through his philanthropy, which included assisting needy school children with their education by way of offering bursaries. He liked to escape from his professional responsibilities when he could, to fish for bass in the more northern reaches of the Noosa River.
Spring and his friends were in the habit of pitching a tent adjacent to the hut and in the 1960s, after logging ceased, he purchased the hut from Samuel McKinnon and arranged a lease from the then Forestry Department. Harry Spring died at the age of 92 years in 1999 and the lease on “Harry's Hut’ reverted to the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Department.
During his ownership of the hut, Harry Spring extended the simple one-roomed arrangement by connecting the open galley to the hut by a roof made from iron taken from an old slaughterhouse and adding flooring to connect the areas. He used the ingenious method of including beer bottles in the foundation to achieve this. He also added a verandah, using local timber in its construction.
Harry's Hut is part of the Cooloola Recreation Area, Great Sandy National Park.
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CONNECTIONS
LocalityComoPersonHarry SpringHeritage ListingNoosa Local Heritage RegisterMenuLocation | ComoTopic | Timber IndustryTopic | Sport & Recreation
Harry's Hut. Heritage Noosa, accessed 14/02/2025, https://heritage.noosa.qld.gov.au/nodes/view/24474