Here’s a little TREASURE: ‘The Open Road in Victoria Being The Ways of Many Walkers’ (1928) by Robert Henderson Croll Vice-President of the Melbourne Walking Club With Eight Illustrations http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks14/1402821h.html
It has a whole chapter on ‘The Baw Baws.’ Also see: http://gutenberg.net.au/walking.html for more old Australian hiking books. An excerpt: ‘With the commencement of the bridle track at McVeigh’s the way is truly the walker’s. For nearly 16 miles it is a sidling pad winding just above and always within sight, or at least sound, of the Yarra, here a babbling stream running at the foot of a steadily deepening valley. Higher and higher grow the hills, well clothed, particularly on the right bank, with tall timber and luxuriant shrubs. The slopes above the river look primeval and un-trodden. But the trail is an old one, as old as the early mining rushes, and doubtless those resolute pioneers, the diggers, left little even of this hilly country unexplored in their search for gold. A reminder of the period is the unusual blaze on the timber—a T, to signify the Tanjil track. Just before the 15-mile post, shown in red on a tree, two huts come into the picture. Each is of iron, and each is well constructed to meet the needs of tourists, it being understood that these bring their own food and bedding. The newer structure has a cement chimney and cement floor, a couple of large windows, a table, a form, and some boxes for seats, half a dozen billies, a frying-pan, a bucket, an axe, a broom, four stretchers, with spring mattresses (and there are as many more in the neighbouring hut) and about a dozen mugs and plates. There are two rooms available for visitors, the space over all being about 50 feet by 15 feet. The old hut is much smaller, but is weatherproof, and at least a shelter in rough weather. On Falls Creek, which joins the main stream at this point, six picturesque waterfalls occur within a mile and a half of the camping ground. They are readily accessible, the track to the main fall (the first) being in good order and of an easy grade. The other five take a little more climbing to see.’ You will see that the hut I already posted a photo of was clearly the old hut. The concrete floor of the new hut (plus chimney) if cleared might make a useful leech-proof campsite.
