Spring has sprung and apart from the weather warming up (hopefully), September is also traditionally a time for a "spring clean".

After a long winter, this column's in tray and inbox are overflowing with correspondence. So in an attempt to start the spring afresh, today I share a selection of your letters, emails and photos, everything from vanishing huts to mysterious medallions. Your input to this column is what helps make it a success, so please keep it flowing.

In response to this column's recent exposé on mountain huts (Matters of the Hut, 12 August ,) Richard Fisher of Mossy Point submitted this 1961 photo of the 'Wombat Motel', a hut in the Brindabellas. Fisher apologises for the quality of the photo confessing it was taken with his "Brownie Starflash camera, the cheapest available in Canberra at the time".

"As senior scouts from the 4th Canberra troop we were hiking from Picadilly Circus to Uriarra Crossing," recalls Fisher, adding, "we slept the first night in the firewatch tower atop Mt Coree."

Despite the adventure taking place over half a century ago, Fisher remembers the remote hut was "pretty close to Devil's Peak", and that "it was near a high-tension line, and had perhaps been part of the installation and maintenance of the line."

Fisher also clearly recalls that his troop's decision "not to stay in the hut, preferring to pitch two-man old fashioned no-floor tents a few miles further on, proved to be a poor one".

"During that night one of the tents were swept away by a rogue wombat careering down the hill with two scouts still inside," he exclaims, adding "it was a bit of an effort to unwrap the wombat and the two scouts as all we had were two c-cell torches."

Heck, I bet it was.

It's the first I've heard of the 'Wombat Motel' and I presume it's long gone. Does anyone else remember it, or can recall its exact location?

For the record, according to Fisher, the scouts pictured are Paul Gottleib and John Granger. I wonder if they recall this childhood adventure.

While recently digging up her veggie patch (no doubt for spring plantings), Joanne Rankin of reports her friend recently uncovered this 'mysterious metallic medallion" in her Campbell backyard.

"On one side it says 'registered to 30 June 1938', while on the other is the number 178 and 'Federal Capital Territory'," reports Rankin.

Since its discovery, despite "some digging" the duo report they "yet to determine the origins of the medallion, which is smaller than a 50 cent piece, but bigger than a twenty cent coin".

Perhaps it's some form of membership token for a club or swimming pool? Someone must know.

Tony Henshaw reports that the stones from London's original Waterloo Bridge aren't the only points of interest under Commonwealth Avenue Bridge (A Little Piece of Britain, June 17).

"On the ledges under the bridge, you can often see many red rump parrots (also known as grass parrots)," writes Henshaw, adding "they have taken to using the gaps between the upright stonework to enter the body of the bridge and breed there."

"While it must be a bit of a risk to the fledging young it seems to be successful," reports Henshaw, adding "many pairs have taken up residence and it cheers me to hear their chatter every time I ride past."

Still in the avian world and in response to attempts by Dave Reid of Chisholm to record the melodic calls of local lyrebirds (Call of the Wild, 22 July), Glenn Pure points out that the superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), which is thriving in Tasmania isn't native to the apple isle.

Pure is spot on, the superb lyrebird was introduced to Tasmania in the 1930s and 40s in order to save the bird from the perceived threat of foxes and habitat loss on the mainland.

"However, there is now some concern about their impact, being an introduced species to Tasmania," writes Pure, citing a University of Tasmania research project which is "examining the impact that lyrebirds have on leaf litter and soil invertebrate communities both directly through predation and indirectly through changes to habitat brought about by foraging."

After enjoying Erwin Feeken's stunning photos of snow gums, (Rainmakers, by Gum, August 5), many readers couldn't resist submitting their own photos of these gnarly features of the high country.

Amongst the avalanche of vibrantly-coloured snow gums images to land in my inbox was this one snapped by Janis Norman of Spence. "While walking out of Falls Creek earlier this year we were just delighted by the magnificent country including these snow gums," gushes Norman.

The use of flattened old kerosene tins to help insulate the walls of Four Mile Hut (Snowy Shelter, 2 June) brought back childhood memories for Gary Poile of Collector. "my dad used the same sized tins to sell honey," recalls Poile, adding "as honey is sold by weight they were known as 60 pound tins."

"As a kid I once washed a stack and dried them in the sun but made the mistake of putting the lids on too soon," recalls Poile, adding "when they cooled down they all imploded into crumpled heaps."

It goes without saying that Poile's dad, George was "far from impressed!"

What: This Father's Day eve a certain akubra-clad columnist will be signing copies of his new coffee-table style book 'Haunted and Mysterious Australia' (New Holland).

When: 11am – 1pm, Saturday 2 September.

Where: Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Paddys River Rd.

Expect: Although the 192-page book highlights seventy-seven natural and geographical oddities and places of intrigue from all corners of our country (and its remote islands), not surprisingly there is a strong representation of spooky and unusual locations from our own neck of the woods. These include Lake George (did a fireball kill all the fish in the 1960s?) the ghost of the 'Man from Snowy River' (he's apparently been spotted at Bredbo) and the perplexing case of the suspended beer glass at the Captains Flat Pub (really!).

Tim's Tip: A last minute Father's Day present for the dad who likes to get off the beaten track and explore our region and beyond.

Make a day of it: Pack a picnic lunch and enjoy one of the many family-friendly (and more importantly dad-friendly) bushwalks in the reserve. See you there!

A number of readers including James Clark and Richard Kuhn answered this column's call for photos of the convict-built sandstone bridge spanning Black Bobs Creek at the Mackey VC rest area on the M31 (Hume Highway), near Berrima (29 April ).

While admiring Clark's striking photo of the bridge, I couldn't help but notice the steps in the foreground which lead into the creek bed from left. They resemble a giant serpent, complete with stripes and bulbous head reaching over the water, and would be a worthy entrant for Simulacra Corner. Can you see the serpent?

Clue: Skating on thin ice, literally.

Degree of difficulty: Medium

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday September 2, 2017 with the correct answer wins a double pass to Dendy cinemas.

Last week: Congratulations to Roger Shelton of Spence who was first to correctly identify last week's photo (inset), the directional plaque on the cairn atop Black Mountain. Shelton just beat a number of readers to the prize including Leigh Palmer of Wanniassa and David Hobson of Spence who, as part of his job "spent quite a lot of time on the summit of Black Mountain when the tower was being built, checking the verticality of the concrete as it went up."

It's the first week for several months that there were more incorrect answers than correct ones, with many readers misidentifying the location as either the Red Hill summit or Parliament House. The clue of 'going around in circles' related to the (currently vacant) revolving restaurant in Telstra Tower.

CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick. You can see a selection of past columns online.