Tenterfield Tourism
Walk Through Historic Tenterfield.

View of Historic Tenterfield

This walking tour takes about an hour. It does not cover all of the National Trust or Heritage buildings in Tenterfield.
  1. POST OFFICE: Listed by the National Trust, built in 1881 by the McGauran Bros, this classical building features Italianate facade, clock tower and metal mansard roof.

  2. SCHOOL OF ARTS: Listed by the National Trust and where Sir Henry Parkes made his famous Federation Speech on the 24th October, 1889. Originally built as a "reading room" and opened on 7th September 1876, the building was extended four times. A sandstone and marble arch was added in 1902 as a memorial to the Boer War soldiers.

  3. TERRACE SHOPS: Built by Mr Peberdy in 1881 and once used by the Bank of NSW, a large safe is still embedded in a back wall. The large corner store was known as Melbourne House and the owner at the time, John Holmes Reid, installed the first electric lighting in Tenterfield from equipment generated for the Flour Mill (see No. 25).

  4. PEBERDY'S RESIDENCE: circa 1870. Now a private residence but in 1890 it was known as "Miss Green's Ladies High and Boarding School".

  5. LINDERMAN'S COTTAGE: Built before 1870, this building is thought to be the first private school in Tenterfield.

  6. ST. STEPHENS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: Mr. Walker donated the land for the Church and Manse in 1884 and paid the Minister's stipend. The social event of 1903 held in this church was the wedding of Miss Alice Walker to A. B. "Banjo" Paterson.

  7. 105 LOGAN STREET: Built in 1870, this cottage featured vertical cladding, a hip roof, lattice sunscreen and 12 pane windows.

  8. ODDFELLOWS LODGE: Built in 1883 and is now used by the local Girl Guides and Brownie pack as a meeting place.

  9. TECHICAL COLLEGE: Built in 1870, Cobb & Co used this building as a change station for their horses and later the Fire Brigade yarded their stock here as well.

  10. TERRACE HOUSES: (130 and 132 Logan St) This remarkable pair of small brick cottages, uncommon in country towns and the only ones in Tenterfield, were built in 1880.

  11. METHODIST CHURCH AND MANSE: (137 Logan St) Originally built in 1867, but destroyed by fire in 1928. Sadly the Bell donated by Mr Edward Irby of Bluff Rock Massacre fame, was sold for One Pound when the new church was built. The Manse is a beautiful single story red brick building featuring double timber columns and cast iron balustrades.

  12. CENTENARY MUSEUM AND PETRIE COTTAGE: (147 and 149 Logan St). A superb example of the colonial method of adding extra rooms to the rear of the dwelling as they were needed. The land was purchased by Stuart Alexander Donaldson at the first land sales held in Tenterfield in 1854. This building houses a very interesting collection of Tenterfield memorabilia. Open on weekends and Public Holidays 2pm-4pm and by appointment through the week. Phone 361844 or 362221.

  13. 19TH CENTURY TERRACE SHOPS: High street was once the main street and it seems every imaginable business has been run from these premises, but the middle shop was always a Bakery.

  14. GROGANS WELDING SHOP: Built in 1867, horses are still shod here as they were in days gone by when they were "King of the Road".

  15. THE TENTERFIELD SADDLERY: Built in 1860 of hand cut blue granite, fine hand made saddles and leather goods are still made on the premises. Immortalised in song by Peter Allen in a tribute to his grandfather, George Woolnough, The Tenterfield Saddler. Listed in the National Trust.

  16. ROYAL HOTEL: Originally the George Inn (1851), holder of the first liquor licence for Tenterfield.

  17. STATE BANK 1891: National Trust building. Site of the first Australian Joint Stock Bank.

  18. TENTERFIELD STAR BUILDING: Built in 1913, the "Star" was founded in 1870. One of the Editors was Major J. F. Thomas, the solicitor who defended "The Breaker" Morant during the infamous Boer War court martial in South Africa.

  19. POLICE STATION AND GAOL: Built in 1874, the original "lock up " cost Two Pounds.

  20. COURT HOUSE: Built in 1870 by the McGauran Bros. The first case tried by a magistrate was for the crime of stealing a building tape measure! Listed in the National Trust.

  21. THREE COTTAGES: (89, 91 and 93 Molesworth St) Listed by the National Trust, each odf these three buildings feature gable roof, bay windows and are of timbered barge board construction.

  22. ST CUTHBERTS: (85 Molesworth St) Built by Edward Irby and used as a Flour Mill at one time. Michael Bruxner lived here after his marriage in 1908.

  23. TENTERFIELD HIGH SCHOOL: Mr. Eramus Styles erected a slab school with a shingle roof on this site in 1866 and it was used as the first High School in Tenterfield. The old brick building at the front of the present school was built in 1887.

  24. COMMERCIAL HOTEL: Built in 1856, the original hotel burnt to the ground in 1877. The Licensee, Jared Brown, lived in "Deloraine" on the Casino Road and also built "Aldershot", another fine country home. The present hotel was rebuilt in 1940.

  25. "THE MILL COTTAGE": c.1870. A reminder of the days when Tenterfield was a large wheat growing area, this brick and rendered cement flour mill has been converted into a private residence.

  26. THE EXCHANGE HOTEL: Built in 1890 by Thomas McGauran, earlier the Telegraph Hotel stood on this site and possibly the Golden Fleece Hotel (mid 1860's).