Craigs Hut; an iconic and beautiful hut in the High Country
Perhaps one of the most well known attractions in the Victorian High Country is Craigs Hut, famous for the man from Snowy River poem and film, and whilst in the Mt Buller area we headed out to check it out.
How do you get to Craigs Hut?
There’s a couple of ways to get to Craigs Hut, but the easiest, and most simple is to head out from Mirimba, and drive up Mt Stirling Road. This eventually turns into Circuit Road, and then you take the Clear Hills Track to do the final part of the drive.
What’s at Craigs Hut?
On the way in, you drive past a small camping area down a track, and then you’ll arrive at a one way loop, with the Craigs Hut sign. There’s a number of car park sections, along with a sheltered lunch area, some spectacular views from the grass and a track that takes you down to the famous Craigs Hut.
Craigs Hut Camping
Inevitably, a lot of people want to spend a night at, or near Craigs Hut, and the good news is this is possible, just not at Craigs Hut itself. The hut is purely for day use, and is only to be used in extreme weather conditions, or a medical emergency.
The closest camping nearby is the Craigs Hut Camping area a few hundred metres away. This is only really suitable for vehicle camping, or swags and tents. I guess you could take a hybrid camper or camper trailer in here, but it really is tiny and it wouldn’t be hard to find yourself unable to turn around!
Craigs Hut Tours
Being such a tourist magnet, there’s a number of Craigs hut tours that operate. We bumped into two of them; Australis 4WD adventures and also the High Country Scenic 4WD tours, but there’s plenty of others that will get you up there if you don’t have a 4WD, or if you’re not game to head out on your own.
Craigs Hut Walking
If you are into walking, there’s a picnic area not far from Craigs hut on Circular Road, which you can hike from. This takes 45 minutes, and is 1.7km long. Obviously, walking down is going to be easier!
Craigs Hut 4WD Track
To get to Craigs Hut, you need a 4WD. Circular road is doable in an AWD, and probably even a 2WD in good conditions, but its got corrugations and a 4WD is highly recommended.
If you are going when there’s really cold weather, or there’s snow, you will likely need snow chains (and they are mandatory), so check it out before you head.
Circular road is really straightforward, and is nothing more than a windy, gravel road that goes up and down a fair bit. There are some rough sections and corrugations, and you’d want to let your tyres down to absorb this, or its going to be uncomfortable.
We always recommend reducing your road pressures by 30%. If you’re running 40 PSI in your vehicles tyres on the bitumen, drop them to 28PSI and your ride will be much better, as will your comfort levels.
Once you get to Clear Hills Track, there is a sign that says 4×4 only, and its also rated difficult on Newtracs, which I was fascinated by. The last part of the drive is semi steep in some areas, with a few little holes and ruts, but its certainly not difficult. That said, perhaps it gets bad, and you should always treat it with respect!
See our vlog
Craigs Hut History
Craigs Hut was built for the 1982 movie called The Man from Snowy River. It was built to fit in with the other high country huts, but has no historical connection to anyone in particular, like the other huts do.
The hut was unfortunately burnt down in 2006, and was rebuilt just two years later. It is similar, but certainly not exact, so don’t go expecting this!
Is Craigs Hut worth a look?
We liked our visit to Craigs Hut. You can’t deny that the views are spectacular, and it is a pretty magic spot. We called in at Razorback hut on the way through, which is also well worth a view, and overall it made for a pretty great day out, including a run to the top of Mt Buller prior.
