The Peak of Playford  -  The Olde Inne    
         
   
       

As the rivers run from the hill down to the

plains of Playford likewise the beginnings of the water which is provided for the Little Para Reservoir stem from the back of the property of the One Tree Hill Inn. There are two hundred and twenty acres outback and some rain which falls on the land flows along the ridges of the hills down to the back of the property where there is a small dam. At most other locations it runs onto nearby properties which ultimately flow all the way down to the Little Para Reservoir. This point on the hill is essentially the highest pivotal point in the whole region of Playford and the water for a number of waterways initially runs from this point.  

 
 
   
     
   
Originally the name ‘One Tree Hill’ came about because there was a large blue gum tree located right at the top of the hill that stood out from all the other trees around.  This tree was used as a reference and as a surveyors point because it could be seen from all around and from this point you could see in every direction. Apparently it was the last of the gum trees west of the forest that previously existed where the township of One Tree Hill now exists. I lived in the Old One Tree Hill Inn for three years and a few times I walked through the hills down to the plains below. I found that the pinnacle surveyors point throughout the Playford area now is at the top of the hill above Craigmore where the single telegraph pole stands next to a very small withered up old tree. You can see all the way to Salisbury looking south west and across to Smithfield in the north west direction. This hill abruptly rises above a circular chasm that separates the gradual rise before you reach the plains below. The ruins of the Smith's Creek Flour Mill is in another chasm more towards Uley Road. The parallel between these two locations seems quite ironic particularly since they contain two of the last remaining structures which were built at the birth of this area.  
 
 
The original One Tree Hill township began in 1958 essentially across the road and just a little way up from the Old Inn. In fact you can still see the remains of a dirt track and clearing where the old main hills track use to be located. The Post Office was relocated from the Inn to here along with a newly built general store and cellar to store the wine that was made locally. There seems to be some conjecture about the township that was developed. Some think that it was developed some distance up Blacktop Road where the One Tree Hill township now exists but others say the general store and post office were originally just up and across the road from the Old Inn. I tend to agree with the latter version because the remnants of the old track still remain across the road which coincides with their story. Either way the Old Inn was first built in 1851 and the township developed from here.  

Another issue of debate is the exact location of the original one tree. I’ve talked personally to one of the remaining Walter’s who originally attended the One Tree Hill Inn when it was used as a Sunday school for a number of children in the area. He showed me an old burnt out stump that still remains behind the old stone wall at the old cottage claiming that this was it! A number of gum trees are aligned at the end of the stone wall denoting the location of the original ‘One Tree’ according to him. The point where this old burnt out stump remains is at the very top of the hill and the slopes which run from this point are quite notable.  The current owner has planted flowers on the other side of this wall which covers it from obvious view but ‘if you seek you will find.’ I found the following quotation in the One Tree Hill Sketchbook on the internet which makes a reference to the stump being inside a fence near five trees. They say “The exact location of the old tree is much disputed and I could not get a definite answer from anyone. Bill Kelly of 'Yelki', suggested that it was a short distance down Walter Road from the Inn, on the right, just inside the fence but these days not even a stump remains” (One Tree Hill Sketchbook)  In the Book ‘City of Playford, A Brief History’ on page 27 they have a photograph of five trees which is across the road from where Mr Walter’s makes his claim which is next to another group of gum trees. The current owner himself doesn’t tend to believe that this is the stump but the fact is nobody really knows. One thing is for sure and that there is an old burnt out stump behind the stone wall just to the right of this red gate at the Old Inn.  I’ll let you decide whether this is the tree or not. 
The Old Inn has gone through a few transitions in its time. When it was first build it was less than half the size that it is now and you could only access the rooms from the outside because the rooms were used as lodging for travellers. The front verandah wasn’t a part of the main roof as it is now and a back verandah was added also when it was updated with an iron roof. When you look at the Inn from the front, the right hand side that is stepped lower than the left is where it was extended. You actually have to step down inside the dwelling at this point also now that the building has interior doors.  The design isn’t quite like a normal house in that you have to walk through rooms rather than hallways to get from one end of the house to the other. The current owner has restored the whole premises and mainly completed the outside repairs once I moved in. He repaired the stonework of the small underground cellar just outside the back verandah along with the underground water tank at the left side of the house. All of the veranda’s have been straightened and wooded beams replaced where needed along with new concrete laid along the back verandah where it had fallen apart. 

There have been a number of other repairs too numerous to mention along with a new paint job inside and out. The place looks a picture and the pictures that I have presented on this page have perhaps been taken at its prime in the latter part of last year on a picture perfect day.