Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01343:reg:16:p6
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2013L01343
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 16 (pt 6/51)
Character Range: 211913–214714

signs of damage to date but the potential impact of this activity needs to be monitored over time to identify any changes. In summer, when much of the external snow ablates and melts, melt water pools and streams sometimes form around the Main Hut. During these times, access into the hut may be more difficult for tourists and conservation parties. Melt water is not a straightforward issue since it is difficult to remove, and exposure to air may increase bio-deterioration and corrosion risks more than inundation in water.

Ice removal

The careful removal of accumulated ice and snow from the workshop of the Main Hut and, particularly, the living section but not the verandahs, has been a principle of site management since conservation expeditions began.

Snow and ice that entered the building due to the failure of cladding and insulation over the years has damaged fittings, increased the corrosion of covered artefacts and obscured the open internal space that had characterised the hut when it was abandoned in 1913. Ice removal to restore this internal form and allow an appreciation of the hut's 1913 configuration has, on balance, been viewed as the best way to conserve and present the place, provided monitoring continues to ensure that the removal does not alter the structure of the hut or its internal environment in such a way that would compromise other heritage values.

Monitoring has shown that the internal environment is not substantially altered by the removal of some of the ice, although further monitoring and analysis are required before conclusions can be reached. Temperature and relative humidity sensors in place since 1999 have found no significant variation since the removal of large volumes of ice in 2002. Additional freeze/thaw monitoring in the walls and ceiling will assist in confirming the suitability of the ice removal policy and may influence the next review of this plan.

Since ice that has formed over and around objects is difficult to remove and increases the risk of damage, further works to remove accumulations of hard snow and ice to reveal the significant fabric, detail and spaces in the hut need to be guided by archaeological and conservation experts as well as recommendations from the analysis of monitoring data.

2.9.4 Management of Standing Ruins

A key component of the significance of the site is its completeness, in particular the integrity of its functionally-specific scientific huts which possess uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's cultural history. The loss of any of the huts would substantially detract from this value.

The Transit Hut and Absolute Magnetic Hut are regarded as standing ruins because of their exceptional cultural significance and high degree of authenticity, combined with their lack of