Hall & Amenities.

The Main Hall is the heart of Wild Mountains Environmental Education Centre and will host visitors on our SHD for a delicious lunch during the tour of all our buildings and sites. The large building features 130 year old Arnott’s factory oregon trusses supported by hardwood poles sourced in the local area. The building is oriented to the north with high level clerestory windows and large recycled windows looking out into the rainforest to the south and capturing the sunshine and daylight to the north.Construction detailing took into account the rainforest setting with driving rain, dampness, wildlife and voracious termites, aiming for a minimum 100 year building lifespan. Locally sourced, oiled timber cladding to the north mirrors the nearby Bruce’s Shed. Less accessible areas are clad in Colorbond steel – higher in embodied energy but low-maintenance.

Internally, walls are lined with Powerscape (a recycled content plasterboard-type sheet) and cypress pine panelling salvaged from a shearing shed dismantled near St George by a keen team of Wild Mountains volunteers.The attached amenities building provides solar-heated accessible hot showers (with gas boosting) and composting toilets and the greywater is treated by worms in a  water treatment tank which keeps the immediate forest lush and green as a bushfire buffer.Raised garden beds in front of the commercial kitchen supply herbs and leafy greens to cater for visiting groups of children, volunteers and adults attending programmes offered or hosted by Wild Mountains. Food waste is composted, tetrapacs are used to propogate plants for the gardens and reveg and all other waste is taken off site for recycling.Designed by Emma Scragg Architect and built by Rob Peagram.