Historic Adams Flat Hut (1882)
Introduction
Visit Adams Flat Hut and John Adam's Grave. The hut is the last of numerous miner huts which once stood near the Fenian Goldfield.Adams Flat Hut and John Adam's Grave date back to 1882. A replica of the hut was built in 1999.
The hut’s origins are uncertain. It is the last of numerous huts which were once dotted around the Fenian Goldfield. John Adam had a slab hut on the flat up to 1882, but the earliest memory of the present hut is 1932, when it was occupied by a miner named John Campbell, believed to have been it’s builder. It has been used as a shelter over the years by fossickers, hunters, trampers etc. John Adams died 28 February 1882, aged 49 years, and was buried two days later.
Historic significance
The hut is in a ruined state, and the site was closed in November 1996, but it provides rough shelter for trampers.
A conservation plan was prepared by Les Wright in 1999 and the replica hut built the same year.
Fabric
A timber and iron unlined hut, approximately 4m x 3m, with an earth floor, two tarpaulin bunks, a broken table, a bench seat, an iron chimney and open fireplace with various cooking and eating utensils. Although collapsed it is substantially complete. A replica of this hut was built in 1999.
The grave near the hut has a totara marker with John Adam’s name carved on it. The lettering is hard to decipher, but it is believed to be the original.
Situated on Adams Flat walks and tracks, the hut is in an open grass and rush clearing amid regenerated native forest. The grave is in the forest about 170 m beyond the hut.
Fabric significance
A good example of a miner’s hut. Nearby is a lonely grave still with its original marker.
Future management
The hut is in a ruined state, and the site was closed in November 1996, but as it is beside public Fenian walking track, it provides rough shelter for trampers.
A conservation plan was prepared by Les Wright in 1999 and the replica hut built the same year.