The Vallejo Gantner Hut is located at Macalister Springs near

Mount Howitt Mount Howitt, also known as ''Toot-buck-nulluck'' in the Gunai language, 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 north-e ...

and the Crosscut Saw. The construction commenced in late 1968. The hut was built as a memorial following the death of Vallejo Gantner, the grandson of

Sidney Myer Sidney Myer (born Simcha Myer Baevski (); 8 February 18785 September 1934) was a Russian-born Jewish-Australian businessman and philanthropist, best known for founding Myer, Australia's largest chain of department stores. Early life Myer was ...

the founder of the

Myer Myer (stylised MYER, sometimes known as Myers) is an Australia, Australian mid-range to upscale department store chain. It trades in all Australian states and one of Australia's two self-governing territories. Myer retails a broad range of ...

department store chain.

Ganter Biography

Vallejo Gantner was born in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California to author

Neilma Gantner Neilma Bailieu Gantner (7 November 1922 – 15 June 2015) was an Australian philanthropist and author who wrote as Neilma Sidney. Early life and education Born in San Francisco, California on 7 November 1922, Neilma Baillieu Myer was the el ...

and his brother

Carrillo Gantner Carrillo Baillieu Gantner (born June 17th, 1944) is an American-Australian, who is noted as a Victorian cultural leader and philanthropist and a member of the Melbourne retailing Myer family. Biography He was born in San Francisco, Californi ...

, a noted philanthropist, actor, director and theatre entrepreneur, he moved with his family to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia at the age of 12. He attended

Melbourne Grammar School (Pray and Work) , established = 1849 (on present site since 1858 - the celebrated date of foundation) , type = Independent, co-educational primary, single-sex boys secondary, day and boarding , denominatio ...

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 asked the

Victoria State Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

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 to 1971 with the help of friends from student days at Melbourne Grammar School and from other schools.

Vallejo Gantner hut

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 Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

in summer and for

cross country skiers Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

in winter and is known colloquially as "Gantner's", and amongst many students from the local schools including

Timbertop Timbertop is a full-time boarding, co-educational campus of Geelong Grammar School located near Mansfield, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1953, by then Headmaster James Darling, Timbertop is compulsory for all year-nine students attend ...

simply as "Mac Springs". It is now within the boundaries of the

Alpine National Park The Alpine National Park is a national park located in the Central Highlands and Alpine regions of Victoria, Australia. The national park is located northeast of Melbourne. It is the largest National Park in Victoria, and covers much of the hig ...

. In 2013, Parks Victoria unveiled the "loo with a view", at Macalister Springs, which uses a sealed tank system to ensure no waste or seepage into the local environment. The project cost $50,000 including design, construction and installation. . The site is listed in the

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

References

Kosciusko Huts Association
Mountain huts in Australia Victorian Heritage Register 1971 establishments in Australia Buildings and structures completed in 1971 Shire of Wellington {{VictoriaAU-struct-stub