Vallejo Gantner Hut
Encyclopedia
Mount Howitt
Mount Howitt is a mountain in Victoria, Australia, named for Alfred William Howitt. Located in the Wonangatta Moroka Unit of the Alpine National Park approximately 170 km Northeast of Melbourne....
and the Crosscut Saw. The hut was built in 1971 as a memorial following the death of a young man named Vallejo Gantner.
Vallejo Gantner was born in San Francisco and moved with his family to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at the age of 12. He was a student at Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and was involved in outdoor activities throughout his student life. He was killed at the age of 19 when his shotgun accidentally discharged while hunting rabbits.
His mother Neilma Gantner (see Merlyn Myer
Merlyn Myer
Dame Margery Merlyn Baillieu Myer DBE , best known as Merlyn Myer, was an Australian philanthropist, who was knighted in recognition of her charitable work....
) asked the Victorian State Government permission to construct the hut as a memorial to her son. The hut was built with considerable difficulty due to poor access and adverse weather conditions over a two year period from 1970-1971 with the help of friends from student days at Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School
Melbourne Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, located in South Yarra and Caulfield, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
and from other schools.
The hut was designed by architect David McGlashen. Its unusual triangular design like a hiking tent readily sheds snow in Winter.
The hut is a popular destination for bushwalkers in Summer and for cross country skiers in Winter and is known colloquially as 'Gantner's'. It is now within the boundaries of the Wonnongatta-Moroko National Park.
A relatively recent addition to the site was the construction of a naturally composting pit toilet with a magnificent view down the Macalister River Valley and across the tops of nearby snowgums and mountain ridges.
The site is listed in the Victorian Heritage Register
Victorian Heritage Register
The Victorian Heritage Register lists places of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 1995 which establishes Heritage Victoria as the permit authority...
.