Churchills Hut

Saturday 6th February 2016

Churchills Hut

One of my friends had expressed an interest in seeing Churchills Hut out in the Florentine area so today seemed an ideal day to check it out.
We drove out from Judbury via the Plenty Link Road and then through Maydena and parked at the start of the Timbs Track which is about 21 kms. further along the road past Maydena. It is clearly marked.
The track had quite a few trees down across it but it was nice walking through a mossy forest. The track was dry but would obviously be rather boggy after rain. Soon the forest ceased and we out into more open country where we came upon Tiger Lookout. There were good views of the surrounding country from here, even though there was some smoke haze from the fires.

From Lookout

From Lookout

Track heading down from lookout to Adamsfield Track

 We then headed down the track to the junction with the Adamsfield Track and took the left track down to the Florentine River. In no time we came upon Ewe's Inn which is a quaint hut that has been recently restored.

Adamsfield Track junction

Track to Florentine River

Ewe's Inn

Ewe's Inn

Ewe's Inn

Ewe's Inn

After spending some time at the hut we ventured on to the Florentine River which was a pleasant spot. Logs which were spanning the river would provide a convenient way of crossing. There were remnants of a old hut and various other bits and pieces.

At Florentine River

At Florentine River

Florentine River

Florentine River

At Florentine River

We had a look around and then returned to the previous junction and took the right fork towards Churchills Hut. There were some large trees along the track named the "Burly Giants".

Adamsfield Track towards Churchills Hut

Burly Giant

Burly Giant

The track had a base of logs in places and the remains of bridges in a couple of spots. The bridge across the Little Florentine river is gone but there are logs available to cross.

Adamsfield Track

Adamsfield Track

Little Florentine River crossing

Little Florentine River crossing

About 50 minutes from leaving the track junction we reached Churchills Hut which was located just beside the track. It has also been restored and was in reasonable condition with a few relics located inside.

Churchills Hut

Churchills Hut

Churchills Hut

Churchills Hut

Churchills Hut

Churchills Hut

Churchills Hut

We had a good look around, a bite of lunch and then headed off on a taped track on the left of the hut that led to a logging coup and then a logging road. This we followed until it met Cooks Track.
Cooks Track started off okay with the occasional small tree down across it but it finally deteriorated to a very overgrown path which was hard to discern in places. There were tapes here and there but it was quite a scrub bash for a couple of kms.. Anyway, we eventually reached a better part of the track and soon emerged on to Gordon River Road, and then it was a short amble of 800 metres up the bitumen to the car.
This was an excellent walk with lots to see, but if you don't like a scrub bash, it is probably best to return to the car from Churchills Hut the way you came.
Distance: 15.4 kms.
Time: 5'15"
Ascent: 330 metres
Click here to download GPX file.