A small stone cottage has taken shape on a slope above Lake Dunstan, marking the first step in a long-planned project to honour Cromwell’s Chinese goldmining past. 

The replica miner’s hut sits above the site of an original Chinese settlement, between the Cromwell Heritage Precinct and the new hall and museum complex under construction.  

Mary Hinsen, part of the team behind the project, said it will eventually anchor a larger interpretation of how Chinese miners once lived, gardened and contributed to the town’s life. 

Research with the help of old photographs and records helped guide the design, and the miner’s hut incorporates local schist, repurposed old timber, sacking for roof lining and trusses made from local trees. 

“The whole thing’s been built really authentically,” she said.  

Stonemason Ben Carr of Rocktipu Stone crafted the walls by hand – for him, it was all about recreating local history. 

“I’ve seen lots of Chinese huts up in the hills around here, and now I got to build one,” he said. 

Ben relied on traditional methods throughout the build.  

“There’s no string lines, everything is done by eye, rather than with modern tools. It’s minimalistic, just as it was back in the day,” he said. 

Sacking roof lining and natural wood trusses give a newly-built Chinese miner’s hut an air of authenticity. Image: The Central App 

The hut is on a steep site, reflecting the conditions the miners themselves faced. 

“They just built where they could and where they had the space to do it,” Mary said. 

“They had to dig into and shore up areas of land that were on incredible slopes. And so we thought we need to do the same sort of thing.” 

The next stage of the project will involve creating hut footings, partial reconstructions, and gardens to show how miners lived together as a community. 

There are also plans to use technology in an “exciting” way to help bring history to life, although details remain under wraps for now. 

The project has its roots in successive community plans, which highlighted the need to share more of the story of Cromwell’s Chinese miners.  

Historical records show the miners were part of the wider community, even fundraising for the local hospital, Mary said.

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