Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01343:front:0:p53
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01343
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 136713–139529

works parties have documented various aspects of the structures' deterioration, and submitted recommendations on the relative priorities for interventions.

Of the four key timber huts, two (both sections of the Main Hut and the Magnetograph House) are in sound condition; the original structures and cladding are largely intact, and the buildings have been secured in recent years by the intervention of over-cladding on top of the original roofs.

The Magnetograph House has consistently been viewed as structurally sound, demonstrating the careful manner in which the AAE expeditioners, particularly Eric Webb, sited, erected, reinforced and lined the hut. Internally, the hut is in good condition and of high integrity, as post-BANZARE items left by various visitors using the hut for measurements or shelter have been removed. Externally, the hut's visual integrity has been altered by the timber over-cladding on the roof.

Repairs to the Main Hut date back to 1977, when holes were patched awaiting a more comprehensive plan for long-term conservation. Other evidence of works to stabilise the hut remain from expeditions during 1985-86, 1997-98, 2000-01 and 2002, and annually between 2004-05 and 2010-11. Internally, the living section collar ties and platform structure, which had failed due to internal snow/ice load, are restorations and reconstructions dating to 1998. Snow/ice loads on the small platform in the workshop also led to failure of the collar ties that supported that section's platform, and five of the eight rafters are split or broken at the joint with the collar ties. Externally, the new timber used in the 1998 and 2006 over-cladding of the roof has had an impact on the hut's external visual integrity. The integrity of the interior is high on account of the minimal human intervention over the years.

The two other key timber structures, Transit Hut and Absolute Magnetic Hut, are in poor condition. They have lost their roofs and significant amounts of cladding. The condition of the Absolute Magnetic Hut was influenced by the BANZARE visit in 1931 which removed the roof in order to position recording instruments. The Transit Hut was – even when it was in use – the most ephemeral of the huts. Its deterioration shows the effects of the passage of time on less sturdy constructions. The remaining framing and cladding of both huts has been stabilised with a view to preserving them as standing ruins, with medium integrity. The ruins demonstrate the impacts of exposure of the original timbers to a hundred years of exceptionally harsh weather. The Absolute Magnetic Hut has been subject to only minor intervention for stabilisation, however the Transit Hut has been installed with a portal frame to provide greater stability. The portal frame has been attached to the original