MT. MITTAMATITE

mtmcleod09a mtmcleod09a

	Lat / Long GDA	-36.148433, 147.861576
	Department	FCV...etc...DEECA
	Work Depot	Corryong
	Region	North East
	Grading	Primary
	Elevation (ASL)	1003m
	Height	30m
	Construction	Steel
	Cabin size	2.1m x 2.1m
	Public access to site	Yes
	In use since	1954 - 1963 (original) 1964 - current
	CFA Region	24 - North Eastern

Photo and above information supplied by Reginald R. Hodge in 1999. Reg has manned the tower since 1985-86 season.

All information below was found in information supplied by David Bannear.

Forest Commission correspondence dated 24th May 1954, talks about the approach route to the tower. An eastern approach was suggested.
Estimated cost:

4 miles doser track	2000 Pound
clearing of site & erection of 60' tower	700 Pound
erection of hut near tower	150 Pound
Total	2850 Pound

In a letter from the Division of Forest Protection, dated 03-05-1961, it talks about some extra earthing to be carried out:
"30' of household earth wire (7/029) is to be attached to each leg and buried in a reasonable straight line at least six (6) inches deep. In addition, any occupant of the tower is to be clearly instructed that, when electrical storms are occurring within a radius of one mile of the tower, the tower is to be vacated, without exception."

In 1963, the Dep. of Civil Aviation wanted to do some radio tests at the site to determine the suitability for radio navigation aids for the guidance of aircraft in that area. Some trees had to be cleared and the tower dismantled to avoid reflections and false readings.
The tower was dismantled and stored in Corryong and a new tower was erected after the testing was completed. The tower was built by the Dept. of Civil Aviation and was first manned on February the 15th 1965.

In a report dated 31-07-1968, the viewing coverage of Black Mountain and Mt. Mittamatite are assessed and the outcome showed that both towers can't do without the other to give a satisfactory cover for the Corryong District.

The tower was painted in 1979 and some minor maintenance was carried out on the catwalk decking and the cabin floor.

In 1985, "It has been reported by the towerman that on occasion the steel structure gives out a loud bang as expansion / contraction forces make their adjustments suggesting that it is time to have all the bolts in the tower structure tightened."

2002: The tower received a new cabin in Oct. (supplied by Reg)

Please click on thumbnails for enlargements


Tower (1998) supplied by David Turner (DSE)	cabin (1998) supplied by David Turner (DSE)	old cabin, supplied by Jim Browning (2009)	old cabin, supplied by Jim Browning (2009)

The old cabin sits in the grounds of The Man From Snowy River Museum in Corryong.

The tower was visited as part of the FLO end-of-year-get-together in early in May 2012. Photos supplied by Andre Belterman

In Dec 2016 the Hume Region (NE) recognised a few of their FLOs for their long and dedicated service. Reg Hodge, the Mt. Mittamatite FLO, was one of them with 35 years service; well done reg.
A copy of the article can be found here

Mt. Mittamatite was impacted by the 2019-20 fires and we recieved the following information from Andrew Johnstone (DELWP) in Oct 2020: Mt Mittamatite got burnt over and we have had an engineering assessment conducted and it is clear for operational use.

FFMV issued a media release on the 30th Oct 2024 re the exploring how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be used to help detect bushfires early to keep Victorian communities safe.
The media release can be found here. Mt. Mittamatite will be used in phase 2.

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