{"id":1306,"date":"2019-08-26T12:09:05","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T01:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1306"},"modified":"2021-03-19T14:05:56","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T03:35:56","slug":"the-heysen-tunnels-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1306","title":{"rendered":"The Heysen Tunnels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/The-Heysen-Tunnels.jpg?w=840&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is The-Heysen-Tunnels.jpg\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption>  <em>Text Ann Herraman. Image courtesy of Luigi Rossi, Project Manager<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Both tunnels were completed with time to spare for a community celebration with wine, food and entertainment inside the enormous spaces which had been drilled through the hillside. \u2018There would never be another occasion anything like this\u201d said local resident Gwen Hewett as she prepared for the big night inside the tunnels. Several hundred people attended and many will still remember such a unique occasion. We would love to hear from you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A community competition was held to find an appropriate name \u2013 \u201cHeysen\u201d was the winner. The Mt Lofty Districts Historical Society had suggested the names of the local bus companies \u2013 Rounsevell (stage coaches) and Choat (motor buses) &#8211; who deserved recognition for the daily services provided to local passengers travelling to work and back along the Mt Barker Road through all weathers and conditions.  Bus driver\u2019s stories are related in the publication \u201cHighway through the Hills, the story of Mount Barker Road\u201d edited by Marcia Ruff Hewitt on behalf of Transport SA. (There is a copy in the MLDHS archive if you would like to read it)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you have memories\/photos of the construction of the tunnels, the opening event or what they have meant to your life in the hills? Contact us at <a href=\"mailto:mldhsgateways@mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\">mldhsgateways@mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au<\/a> or drop into the History Centre at the Coventry Library, 63 Mount Barker Road, Stirling.<br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Both tunnels were completed with time to spare for a community celebration with wine, food and entertainment inside the enormous spaces which had been drilled through the hillside. \u2018There would never be another occasion anything like this\u201d said local resident Gwen Hewett as she prepared for the big night inside the tunnels. Several hundred people &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1306\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;The Heysen Tunnels&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":680,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PaNLq6-l4","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":680,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=680","url_meta":{"origin":1306,"position":0},"title":"Transport &#038; Communication","date":"March 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Return to Gateways Topics The Heysen Tunnels Mount Lofty Railway Station Travelling by Train","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/The-Heysen-Tunnels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3998,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3998","url_meta":{"origin":1306,"position":1},"title":"New Acquisitions; October 2025","date":"May 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Jackie MussaredImages: Jackie Mussared A selection of new items added to our archive during October 2025 WW1 Recruiting Poster Printed by S T Leigh & Co Ltd Lithographic Printers No: 4754001 Opening of the Heysen Tunnels Highway to the Hills - 5 Mar 1999, a page from The Courier,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Image1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":793,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=793","url_meta":{"origin":1306,"position":2},"title":"Gateways Topics","date":"June 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"War, Peace & Memorials The Lych Gate at Sunset Rock Learning & Education Mylor Primary School Church & Community Gates, Anglican Church Uraidla circa 1910. Sport & Recreation Stirling Oval Gates The Built Environment Mount Lofty House People & Places St Vigeans Gardens & Gardeners Mount Lofty Botanic Garden (top\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/gateways-war-and-peace.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3734,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=3734","url_meta":{"origin":1306,"position":3},"title":"Hills Sculpture Trail","date":"July 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A major initiative, which has left permanent traces in the region, was the Adelaide Hills Inaugural International Sculpture Symposium, which took place in 2012. Eight sculptors from around the world were invited to \u2018The Cedars\u2019 at Hahndorf - the former home of the painter Sir Hans Heysen - to spend\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/botanic-gardens-Glimpse-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1869,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1869","url_meta":{"origin":1306,"position":4},"title":"Joseph Stanislaus (Stan) Ostoja-Kotkowski","date":"May 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Elisabeth Anderson Images: Invaluable Auction and Galleries, Mary Beaven, SLSA Stan Ostoja-Kotkowski with an artwork based on his use of Moir\u00e9 Grating pattern. Polish-born Joseph Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski, who lived much of his adult life in Stirling, was an award-winning artist recognised in Australia and overseas for his pioneering work\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1734,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1734","url_meta":{"origin":1306,"position":5},"title":"The Rossini Family","date":"April 20, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Text and Images: Elisabeth Anderson and Judith Lydeamore When the railway line was built through the Adelaide Hills in the 1880s, stone masons were brought from Italy to help build the tunnels for the first section. One of the surnames was Rossini and the three brothers on whom this story\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Rossini.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1306"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1306"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2549,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1306\/revisions\/2549"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}