How much do you know about the first settlers in the Tea Tree Gully area? Fifteen brave history fanatics braved the wet and wild weather last Saturday to find out about some of our cemeteries and the local identities buried there.

Our day started out at Golden Grove Cemetery, where unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time due to the torrential rain. We were all glad to dry off indoors at the Golden Grove Uniting Church (above) and look at their wonderful History Week display, while listening to some facts about the church itself.

From there we headed out to Houghton Cemetery, and by then the rain had fortunately eased up. We heard stories of the Newman, Haines and McEwin families to name a few, then it was off to the Highercombe Hotel Folk Museum for a delicious home-cooked lunch.

Our final cemetery for the day was Hope Valley (below), where prominent figures such as the Wilkey and Kloepper families are buried. A fun and educational day was had by all!