History of TTG & the N/E #1: Tea Tree Gully Village.
It only seems right to start this series in the historic heart of TTG.
In the north east corner of the intersection of Haines Rd and North East Rd, next to the CFS station you will find Gallery 1855, which was the original council chambers for the district. The first council chambers incorporated two cells, as the building was intended for occasional use as a police court. Against the wishes of Councilors from Houghton and Hope Valley, the Council Chambers were built in Steventon, close to the entrance to Tea Tree Gully. It seems certain that the Council Chamber was the first to be erected by any council in the colony and was used as such until 1967. The cost of the building was 400 pounds, one third of the entire year’s fund.
A stone’s throw to the west you will find the Gully pub. Originally known as the Tea Tree Gully Inn, it was the third hotel in the area to open when it received its licence on March 22nd, 1854. In its early days The Gully faced stiff competition from the adjacent Highercombe Inn, which opened five months later and is now a museum. Local council meetings were held at both venues until Council Chambers were built at the end of 1855.
The proximity of the two hotels, and the gold-fever exodus of the mid 1850’s made neither of them profitable. This was especially true for The Gully which was disadvantaged by not being on the main road, which back then passed by the Highercombe. As a result of its poor position, The Gully licence changed hands fourteen times in its first twenty years!
In 1875 a stroke of luck changed its fortunes when the main road was re-routed, putting The Gully in prime position on what we now know as North East Road. Instead of horses and their owners having a drink and a rest at the Highercombe Inn, they stopped at The Gully instead. Consequently the Highercombe shut down later that year.
There are rumours that an underground tunnel exists between The Gully and the Highercombe Inn which was designed for bootlegging back in the day.
Moving around to the south you will find the Old Highercombe Hotel which is now a museum. The Highercombe Hotel (built 1853), a prominent landmark in the historic township of Tea Tree Gully, was opened in 1854. The building has served as a hotel, a community meeting room, a post office (1879-1963), a school room (1875-1934), and residence for postal officers, teachers and a private family (1930’s-1950’s). From 1963–1965 the building was used as a library and office accommodation for the Tea Tree Gully Council. After that, the building was derelict for some time and destined for demolition. At the request of concerned local citizens, the site was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1967, when its development as a heritage museum began.
Moving around the square back towards the CFS station you will find more of the original buildings of the settlement, Dunn’s Cash Store 1854 which is currently disguised as the Ruby Raja restaurant, part of the original bakery and the Fox and Firkin Pub (Originally a flour mill built in 1853).
In the centre of them all is Haines Park and Fountain. Upon his death in 1902 William Haines left 2 pieces of land to the people of TTG to be made available for recreation, this being one of them. The water fountain was commissioned by the then Governor and officially opened in 1909.