Mount Franklin Chalet - ACT

Recently explored the Mount Franklin area… a picturesque drive followed by a brief walk to reach this spot. Perfect for those intrigued by Australian skiing history.

The chalet built at this site was one of the pioneering sites for the Australian ski industry. Some claim it was one of the first ski chalets built.From Wikipedia: "A ski chalet was constructed at Mount Franklin in 1938 to service the Canberra Alpine Club. Ski runs were cleared and ski tows were improvised. The chalet later operated as a museum before being destroyed in the 2003 Canberra bushfires. A new shelter designed and built by University of Adelaide students opened in 2008. It serves as an interpretive centre and can provide park managers and emergency services personnel with a base to conduct search and rescue operations in the event of future bushfires. The ACT/NSW boundary passes through the Franklin Chalet ruin area." Another quote from https://australianhiker.com.au/trails/mt-franklin-act-3-6-km/ "Head up the marked trail on the left hand side of the carpark and about 200-300 metres up the trail you will come to an open area that has a large shelter and toilet facilities off to one side. This was the site of the old Mount Franklin Ski lodge which burnt down in the 2003 Canberra fires. In fact this walk is based around the old ski runs and has some old infrastructure still remaining. Spend some time here looking at the interpretive signage before continuing on up the trail. It's also a great location for a break. "As mentioned the trail is part of the old ski runs which are now largely overgrown but you will come across a ski tow just as you leave the shelter area and as you oak your way up the old ski run you will come across interpretive signage and old infrastructure. As you reach the summit you will come to a Trig station but you haven’t reached the turn around point just yet. When you reach the trig station follow a small trail to the right about 80 metres down the hill and you will come across another ski run with the remains of an old Austin 40 car that was used to run the ski tow."