Pinchgut Hut | Mount Thomas Forest Conservation Area
A great place to take teens for a first tramping experience. The track has a few minor obstacles: climbing around and across slips, some substantial drop-offs on a narrow track, boulder-hopping in a river for a short way, and a generally well-maintained hut at the end.
It’s a Lockwood variety, built in 1983 and given a spruce-up in 2024, during which it was painted, a new woodburner was installed, and double-glazed windows replaced the original ones. Good to have flyscreens.
Plenty of camping across the creek. And only three hours to skidaddle back to the car, screens, and civilisation in general.
category . . . standard hut
hut fee . . . from 1 July 2026
Adult (18+ years): $15.00 per night
Youth (5–17 years): $7.50 per night
Child/Infant (0–4 years): free
Before you go, buy 1 Standard Hut Ticket (blue for adults, red for youth) for each night of your stay. Put this in the honesty box at the hut. A Backcountry Hut Pass is also valid year-round.
booking . . . not required all year for either hut or camping
campsite fee . . . free to camp
elevation . . . 360 m
bunks . . . 9 mattresses, on two sleeping platforms + one separate bed in sleeping alcove
built . . . 1983, renovated in 2024 by Backcountry Trust volunteers
heating . . . woodburner
water . . . 30 m each way to creek
toilet . . . longdrop
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