Haunted Highercombe Hotel Museum
Investigating the Highercombe Hotel Museum, Tea Tree Gully
Every year I have the pleasure of visiting haunted locations around Australia. In 2015, my travels were no exception. That year included investigations at Boggo Road Gaol in Queensland, Geelong Gaol and Beechworth Lunatic Asylum in Victoria, a return to Woodford Academy in New South Wales, and numerous South Australian sites such as the Old Adelaide Gaol, the Cornucopia Hotel in Wallaroo, and investigations in Willunga, Kapunda, Gladstone and Edinburgh. Among these, one of the most intriguing locations was a small‑scale investigation at the historic Highercombe Hotel Museum in Tea Tree Gully.
A Brief History of Highercombe
The Highercombe Hotel was built in 1853 in the township then known as Steventon—today’s Tea Tree Gully. Although the population was respectable for the time, it was not large enough to support two hotels: the Highercombe Hotel and the Tea Tree Gully Inn, which stood directly opposite. As a result, the Highercombe Hotel’s life as a public house was short‑lived, closing just twenty‑four years after opening.
The Tea Tree Gully Inn prospered after the main road was diverted to pass directly in front of it, becoming a major stopping point for stagecoaches and horse riders.
The Highercombe building, however, found new purpose. From 1879 to 1963, the northern side served as the local post office and residence for the postmaster. From 1875 to 1934, the southern side housed the headteacher of the Tea Tree Gully Public School. Later, from 1930 for roughly twenty years, the southern portion was rented to the Hughes family as a private residence.
In the 1960s, the building briefly served as the library and office for the Tea Tree Gully Council. In 1967, it was bequeathed to the National Trust, beginning its life as a museum. In 2015, the site was renamed the Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum and continues to be operated entirely by volunteers.
Haunting Theories and Attachments
My research has uncovered no recorded deaths within the building that might directly support a haunting. However, the museum contains numerous personal effects—objects deeply connected to their former owners. This lends itself to the theory of attachment, held by some paranormal investigators. The idea suggests that certain objects, cherished or significant during life, may retain a spiritual connection after death. The spirit, unable or unwilling to part with the object, remains near it. Several experiences within Highercombe seem to align with this theory.
One reported sighting involves a young girl seated before the fireplace in the large downstairs sitting room near the hotel’s entrance. Volunteers have glimpsed her briefly, sitting quietly as though warming herself by the fire.
Our Investigation
During our investigation—conducted by Eidolon Paranormal alongside my friend Karina Eames—we experienced our own unexplained moment in an upstairs room. We were reading poetry that had been bequeathed to the museum as part of an estate. As Karina and Karen read aloud, another investigator observed a small white light pass between two team members before vanishing. At the same moment, several investigators felt sudden coldness and goosebumps.
We are still reviewing our data and intend to return for further investigation. The identity of any spirit within the former hotel remains unknown, but the building’s layered history and personal artefacts make it a compelling location for continued study.
Visiting the Museum
The Tea Tree Gully Heritage Museum is open to the public on designated open days and also accepts group bookings. Details can be found on the volunteer society’s website: http://www.highercombemuseum.on.net/
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