27 HERBERT ST

27 Herbert Street, 1960s
Source: Barbara Gurney

The house is said to have been built in 1871. Part of it was Gulgong's "New Zealand Hotel". One end was stables and the other end was where they made wagon wheels for the wagons.

Source: Anne Ilsley

More recently, this house used to belong to Walter Haley and Flo (nee Taylor). It remained in the family until around 1977. It was passed down to Lindsay Gordon Haley and then passed down to Grace Perring (nee Haley). Mick and Michelle Perring lived here from 1968 until 1977 with my parents and grandparents.

There was a mullock heap outside the back fence which is on Roger Sergent's property.

Source: Mick Perring

The property consisted of three house blocks on the intersection of Herbert and Station streets.Walter and Florence Haley bought it the late 1920s-early 1930s from a man (possibly called Earnie Jago). It used to have 2 shops connected to the house. One small and a much larger one attached to it. Possibly a produce store and butchers.

Walter was away shearing (2 years at a time, sometimes), so Florence took care of the finances.

The building was on the middle block with nannas lovely flower gardens, mainly dahlias (that won many firsts in the Gulgong show).

On the lower block (Station Street) were the wood heap and working dogs. On the top block were the vegetable garden, fruit trees and chook run.

The property was left to Grace Perring (nee Haley) and she sold it in 1979.

There was a mullock heap on the middle block. It was a totally different colour soil to the rest around.

Haymen Vile had a second-hand shop there for a while with the people who bought the place from Perrings, then it was sold to a builder and was awaiting heritage listing, when he knocked it all down on a weekend when no officials were around. I believe there was a fine, but the history was lost. He then went on to build 3 houses on those blocks.

Source: Michelle Perring