Colhurst House in Mount Gambier: Ron checks out the King Room on the Limestone Coast in the South East region of South Australia
Colhurst House is one of the grand old dames of Mount Gambier. It has an amazing story to tell - one which even many of the Limestone Coast locals are unaware of.
Smack bang in the middle of Mount Gambier, a town of some 25 thousand residents a good four and a half-hour drive from Adelaide, this Victorian mansion has great views of local tourist icons like the Centenary Tower overlooking the famous Blue Lake.
A short walk away is the historic Jens Hotel, the Cave Gardens - home to the town's first water supply, and just around the corner is the Riddoch Gallery, one of the best regional art centres in the country and there's the Umpherston cave Garden where you can feed the possums.
Colhurst House was built in 1878 by Thomas Henry Williams. He came to Mount Gambier from the Victorian gold fields and purchased a couple of threshing machines to provide flour to the diggers.
Patty Forster, Colhurst House: "Thomas Henry Williams soon established his own flour milling empire with a mill in nearby Port McDonnell and soon others here in Mount Gambier. The wealth from all that created Colhurst House. In fact Llandovery as it was then known created quite a stir. It was said that when Mount Gambier's first pull chain toilet was installed here, half the town called in to inspect this amazing phenomenon."
The second owners changed the name to Colhurst - in memory of a son killed in the Second World War.
Given its one hundred and thirty-year history, it's not surprising that this landmark is the subject of the occasional ghost story. Patty, the live-in host, was once told to lookout for "Albert". She's never come across him in her seven-year stay at Colhurst House despite the occasional "bump" in the night.
Patty Forster, Colhurst House: "A door might blow shut and I realise there's no wind or no reason for it. But it's not 'Albert'."
Perhaps it might have something to do with that pull-chain toilet!
Colhurst House is on Wyatt Street near the centre of Mount Gambier. Accommodation ranges from $135 per night to $250 for the King Room. If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au
Colhurst House
Wyatt St, Mount Gambier
Bookings 8723 1309Published 2nd November 2008
