Haunted Highercombe Hotel

Highercombe Hotel Museum

Recently Eidolon Paranormal had the pleasure of investigating the Highercombe Hotel Museum, with thanks to our friend Karina Eames. As far as we are aware, only (another friend) Icey Paranormal has previously investigated the building for spirit activity.

 History

In 1853 when the Highercombe Hotel was built, the town of Tea Tree Gully was known as “Steventon” and contained a reasonable population, but not one big enough to support the Highercombe Hotel and the Tea Tree Gully Inn which stands across the road. The Highercombe closed its doors as a hotel only 24 years after opening.

 The Tea Tree Gully Hotel became a major stopping point for stage coaches and horse riders after the main road in the area was diverted right past its front door.

 The northern side of the Hotel building served as the local post office and post masters residence from 1879 until 1963. From 1875 until 1934 the southern side of the building was lived in by the head teacher of the Tea Tree Gully Public School. After this, for 20 years from 1930, the southern side was rented to the Hughes family as a private residence.

 For a small period in the 1960’s the building served as the library and office for the Tea Tree Gully Council, until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1967, when it’s life as a museum was imagined.

In 2015 the site has been renamed The Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum and is run entirely by volunteers

Whilst we have found no deaths in our research on the building that could lend credence to a possible haunting, the building contains a number of personal effects that could promote the theory of “attachment”. “Attachment” is the theory that some paranormal investigators subscribe too that some objects are so loved and adored by their owners, or had such importance in their lives, that, in death, they still cannot bare to part with it. This in turns leads to sightings of the spirit near its beloved object – as would appear to be the case here in this building.

 One sighting has been of a young girl sitting in front of the fire place in the large downstairs sitting room at the entrance side of the Hotel. This teenage girl has been seen briefly by volunteers, sitting quietly, as if enjoying, or warming herself in front of the fire.

 We had our own brief unexplained experience in an upstairs room when reading poetry that was bequeathed to the museum in an estate. Whilst Karina and Karen were reading the poetry aloud, another investigator witnessed a small white light pass between two investigators and then vanish – at the same time goosebumps and coldness was felt by the investigators.

 At this stage we are still reviewing our investigation data, and looking towards further investigations in the former hotel to uncover whom could possibly be haunting the building,.