Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum | Review

A historic house to explore with interactive fun around every corner, The Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum presents an incredible day out for families wanting to revisit the past.

Review by Angelica-Hazel Toutounji

If you have never stepped foot inside the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum, boy are you missing out! Located in the historic township of Tea Tree Gully on Perseverance Road, the Museum is a treasure trove to be explored.  We visited during a ‘Heritage on Sunday‘ event with the theme Pills & Potions.

The building was built in 1854 and was originally known and operated for 24 years as the Highercombe Hotel. During this time there were dances, public functions and council meetings. In 1879 the northern side of the building became a post office and from 1875 to 1934 the southern side served as the home of the head teacher at Tea Tree Gully Public School. The building was then used as a school followed by a private residence and then a library and council office. In 1967 the site was passed on to the National Trust of South Australia and made into a museum with kind donations from local residents.

One of the aspects that makes the museum very special, apart from the incredible history is that it is operated by community volunteers. These volunteers are amazing and are always go out of their way to make the events fun for young and old.

Schools and community groups can arrange tours of the museum or for families with kids the best thing to do is to keep an eye on their events calendar. On the third Sunday of every month the museum is transformed for an event called Heritage on Sunday.  For the theme Pills and Potions there was a gentleman that provided an amusing talk about old remedies, holding up each item as he went. There was a kitchen table with real medicinal food items for the kids to see and smell. There was also a ‘sick’ old lady in bed that gave us a fright as we weren’t expecting her.

Exhibits aside, the outside of the museum is also well worth a visit. There is ample grass for kids to play on, numerous rooms to be explored with a bunch of old memorabilia, a makeshift police holding cell, a beautiful garden and a small nature play area.

So if you are looking for a low cost family activity around the north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide and you like a bit of history and old fashioned fun, give the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum a visit!

What we like about it

• The way the museum changes each month with interesting exhibits and the level of detail the volunteers go to in creating the experience
• The fact that it is so well priced, even the gift shop is very afforable
• Great outdoor area with space for kids to roam

Things to consider

• The museum is only open the third Sunday of every month or by appointment 

Coffee and food options nearby

• Topiary is a garden centre and restaurant with great coffee and tea not too far away

Location:

3 Perseverance Road, Tea Tree Gully

Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum – Open Days

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).

SUBSCRIBE

Follow Play & Go Adelaide on Facebook and Instagram

Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!