Members’ Tour and social activity
March 2025

More than 20 YDHS members enjoyed a fascinating morning touring some historic homes in the Bald Hills and Inman Valley regions.

Members met at the Torrens Vale Lookout, then travelled in convoy to our first stop, Cornhill, the original home of Robert and Mary Anne Kelly. Robert Kelly arrived in South Australia in 1849 and on March 30th, 1849, purchased Section 352, Hundred of Yankalilla, containing 80 acres. Garry and Nathan, the current owners, described the history of ownership of the Section and displayed artefacts from what is left of the original cottage, showing us the various additions and renovations made to the cottage over the years.

Our second stop was Botanic House, where we had the privilege of roaming the extensive grounds and admiring the main house and separate out-building. The house was probably built about 1878 by James Mayfield, whose father Thomas Mayfield had settled in the region in the 1850s. James was interested in horticulture and established beautiful gardens, hence the name Botanic.

We then visited Sweetman Cottage in Inman Valley. The cottage, also known as Enfin, stands on land bought by Isaac Hurrell in 1870. William Sweetman built this cottage for his bride, Eva Pitkin, in 1903.

Crossman Bridge is behind and to the right of Belicious Café. It was built in the 1860s but suffered damage several times due to floods and heavy traffic. It was last rebuilt in 1913 and named Crossman Bridge after the Crossman sisters who ran the Crossman Tea Rooms, a popular tourist destination and centre for social activities in the region. Crossman Tea Rooms was reopened in 1959 as Glacier Rock Café, and is currently the very popular Belicious Café.

We rounded off the morning’s activities with lunch at Belicious.