Accommodation
Hut,
'Walk-in' site,
Water Tank
'Walk-in' site,
Water Tank
Water Tank Level
Mapsheet
Mapsheet 7D, Mount Elm Camp Site to Mernmerna Creek;
Mapsheet 8A, Mernmerna Creek to Black Gap
Mapsheet 8A, Mernmerna Creek to Black Gap
Guidebook
Northern Guidebook, chapter 5, map 3
Coordinates
Contact
https://www.heysentrail.asn.au (Friends of the Heysen Trail)
This hut is maintained by Friends of the Heysen Trail volunteers and reserved for Heysen Trail walkers and Mawson Trail cyclists.
It is located on private property and not accessible to vehicles or caravans.
This hut is maintained by Friends of the Heysen Trail volunteers and reserved for Heysen Trail walkers and Mawson Trail cyclists.
It is located on private property and not accessible to vehicles or caravans.
Bookings
No
Fees
None
Facilities
water, bunks, fireplace, table, seating, toilet
History
The hut was restored from a ruin in 1988 as a Bicentennial Project. The cottage was restored by seven unemployed and homeless persons from the Wright Court Day Centre in Adelaide. The project was co-ordinated by the Adelaide Central Mission and funded by the Department of Recreation and Sport.
Read Trailwalker article from 1989, https://heysentrail.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Mayos-Hut-restoration-history-published-trailwalker-15-February-1989.pdf
Read Trailwalker article about official opening, https://heysentrail.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Mayos-Hut-official-opening-1989.pdf
Read Trailwalker article from 1989, https://heysentrail.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Mayos-Hut-restoration-history-published-trailwalker-15-February-1989.pdf
Read Trailwalker article about official opening, https://heysentrail.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Mayos-Hut-official-opening-1989.pdf
FOHT Trail Development team visited the hut on 13/4/2022. Water levels in both the Hut tank and Toilet tank were 80% each.
Visited 29/8/21. Tank about 90% full. Lovely spot, very much appreciated, thank you FOTH. The Wonaka/Merna Merna creek route before you turn off towards Red Range effectively has two options – walking via the creek bed is more scenic (particularly around the Wonoka/Merna Merna creek junction where there are some large, beautiful springs), but main signage and faster route is often on the creek banks.
FOHT Trail Development Team visited this site 21/04/21. Main water tank level 90%. Toilet tank level 100%.
We are reporting from there now 21.4.21 thanks to 4g reception, heading South. Came from Red Range heading to Hawker but too far …34km… and creek walking too tiring so decided to stay at this beautiful hut for the night
Water tank off toilet has about 50%. Water from tank off hut is rust colored and about 60%. Lovely to enjoy the sun and listen to the birds with roos hoping by. Saw first sheep on Arkaba today and some water in creeks near the hut. Can be hard to find signs showing way out of very wide creeks. About 8km south of Red Range the sign was on top of the right hand bank nearly covered by leaves of a huge gum down in the creek.
Walker reported that water tank is 60%.
An excellent hut that fits our party of 7 nicely. Water tanks seem full. The walk here from Red Range Camp was mostly along the river. The short patches through the stations were hot – barely a blade of grass. When we arrived by the hut we were greeted by a mob of sheep. Not sure what they’re eating but they looked in good shape.
Hi Cameron. So good to hear you still doing sections of the HH.
No, we not doing day walks as such. The four of us are on trail for 15 nights, carrying back packs, food, etc. we are doing 2 food drops at Hawker and Wilpena Pound. Yes a bit of luxury on both those nights staying in a cabin at Hawker and a permanent tent at Wilpena. The rest of our itinerary is in the very capable hands of sisters, Shirley and Bonny. Both Bon and Shirl are contributing notes on the HH Forum as well. Bonny prepares all our evening meals with her amazing skills at dehydrating gourmet meals. We even have the most delectable desserts!!!! You can see our trek notes Cameron on Shirl,s entries on the forum.. And Bonny is very keen to hear from anyone who does the dehydrating of meals for trekking and is a wizard with her knowledge she can impart also. Shirl does the logistics of the trail and doesn’t miss a trick.Both Shirl and Bonny are very experienced long distant Trekkers and our fourth member of our group is a lovely young lady , Lou who has joined Shirl on many hard core treks. We have another sister Robyn who usually joins us too but this year she and her husband are RV-ing in the NT at the moment.
Would love to keep in touch Cameron with your continued experiences on the HH Trail.
Happy and safe trekking
Suze
Suze I have done just over 30% of the trail so far.
Are you planning on doing day walks or carrying full packs?
You can get a shower in Wilpena for a small cost.
Hello Cameron.. Thoroughly enjoyed viewing your posts and pics of parts of the Heysen Trail..Thank you… i see where it was 2008 you did this section. How many more have you done Cameron? Or more to the point, when did you finish the Trail?
My sisters Shirl and Bonny and good friend Lou and I are ‘starting’ at Quorn and finishing at the Trail head ; I believe we doing these three sections first up as we three (Shirl , Bon and myself) are no spring chickens and thought we’ll start at the Finish and work our way south over the next few years!!
Cameron, your pics of Mayo Hut were fabulous.. You have whetted the appetite big time and excitement is creeping in as we only have 3 weeks and 3 days before we leave… Doing these sections over 15 days, arriving in Parachilna on 11th October, 12.
Of course Cameron we will be ‘open arms’ to any advice or suggestions you can think of.. Look forward to hearing from you..
Suze (Bon, Shirl, and Lou)..
Hey good work, I like your comments and photos, a good hiking trip.
You can now edit your posts – my bad – I wasn’t aware the ordinary user couldn’t edit their own posts within this forum subgroup (others they could).
Another note – there are about a dozen wooden heysen trail marker posts on the floor in the corner of this hut (in case anyone had forgotten they’re there.)
Hrm it’s a pain that I can’t edit my posts 🙁
A note that sleeping on the top sleeping platform can be a bit draughty – the wind comes in straight over the walls. Recommend a beanie or sleeping downstairs or in a tent if it’s windy.
Mayo Hut
This pioneer homestead was built by William Mayo and his family in 1899. It was restored as an overnight shelter for walkers on the Heysen Trail. The restoration was carried out by unemployed persons from the Adelaide Central Mission’s Whitmore Square Day Centre. The project was funded by the SA Government, through the South Australian Recreation Institute’s Recreation Trails Division. The scheme was made possible with the generous support of Mr. & Mrs. A McInnes the owners of Wonoka Station, Hawker.
Officially reopened by Mr George Beltchev, Chief Executive Officer, Department of Recreation and Sport. September 3rd 1989.
Sweet hut! Stayed here on April 17th – our first night out while hiking from where the trail crosses the Hawker-Parachilna Road to the Parachilna Gorge trailhead (7 days/125ish km.)
In addition to the facilities mentioned above there is a quite new looking loo – very flash. There’s enough steel in it to ensure it’s around long after the hut has crumbled into dust.
I thought the new water tank on the loo had a broken tap, but my mate thought it was empty, so not sure about that one.
Check out the wooden-edged gravel pit underneath the tap – that’s dedication!
There is a tank on the hut though which is about 2/3 full.
We very much appreciated the hut to stay in after a late start (3:40 at the main road) and arriving in the dark around 7:30. We shortcutted the last bend in the creek and found some very odd cultivation of some sort – kind of looks like someone’s been doing learner practice in a grader, or some kind of alien crop circle – very strange.
We found the fire set on arrival and a plentiful supply of dry wood which was appreciated (would be especially useful in a thunderstorm, but a nice touch nonetheless.)
I reckon you could sleep about 10 on the sleeping platforms, plus more on the floor if you were really desperate. There are also enough billies hanging on the walls to feed several thousand people.
One of our party members had a severely upset stomach during the night, however we do not believe it was due to water from this hut – nobody else in the party had a problem. Just a useful note if some other people have trouble too.
Cous-cous for dinner. Bed at 9:45. Rose at 9:30 (quite late due to the fun and games at 1am and only a short day ahead) and departed for Red Range Campsite at 11am.