Fern Retreat
DESCRIPTION
The Fern Retreat Hut, built c. 1890, was one of the better-known huts which featured on postcards between 1895 and 1920. It was crushed by a falling log in a storm in July 1904 but rebuilt, better than ever, immediately afterwards.
Location Known Construction date 1890
HISTORY
“In the early days, when the telephone was a novelty, they even had a set strung up between the Blue Bell and the Fern Retreat Huts. This was designed to warn the next hut of the approach of a party of walkers and to be sure to have the billy on. A game of tennis was often challenged, and was played on an area especially cleared in front of the Fern Retreat, so visitors were never short of entertainment even down to a sturdy rope swing fastened to a tree and which travelled far enough for the daring to be out over a sixty foot drop.”
—Ted Cornish
HERITAGE VALUES
McConnell noted Historic, Scientific and Aesthetic values
HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
McConnell assessed this hut as having High Local Significance, Some State significance individually and as Some significance as part of the suite of historic heritage mountain huts as well as Some National significance.
Status: Remnants
SOURCES
The Huts of kunanyi/Mount Wellington - Maria Grist