Located: On the Mount Somers Track. From Mount Somers township, follow Ashburton Gorge Road for approx. 10 km before turning right into Jig Road. Follow Jig Road to the end.
Access: 3 hours (adult), or 4 hours with lunch and playing at the coal mine site. If the kids get tired walking in there is a 4WD track to the left of the track that starts about half way. This bypasses a steep climb and shortens the walk to the hut quite a lot.
(We returned via the Rhyolite Ridge Track (rather than back out on the Miners Track) and this was a mistake. The extra views were truly amazing but the Ridge Track is not child friendly by any stretch, with slippery loose gravel on steep narrow paths and big drop-offs. This took us 5 hours, carrying our 4 year old on the steep bits and holding hands a lot.)
Hut features: The hut is serviced, so you need tickets for adults or children over 10 years of age. It is a very modern, warm hut, with full double glazing, built-in fly screens and more insulation than most homes. We went in April this year and were too warm in our summer sleeping bags. There is a creek running beside the hut as the name suggests which was perfect for the kids. We took gold pans for something else for the kids to do but no luck.
