Historic Toll House

In 1862 the Otago Provincial Government had the Toll house constructed under the ‘Turnpike Ordinance’ to collect tariffs from the travellers on their way to the gold fields in Central Otago to provide revenue for the construction of the roads.
It was originally located at Stoney Creek, between Milton and Balclutha.
The leases of the Tollhouses were auctioned off, with the leaseholders paying for the right to collect the tolls which formed their income. The charges were complex and depended on factors such as the kind of wheeled vehicle, the number of animals drawing it and the job of the individual traveller. There was also a list of exemptions. These included those carting materials for road repairs, animals on the way to work the land, those going to church, police and their prisoners, mail carriers, soldiers conveying arms and judges on the way to perform their duty. However, toll keepers were far from popular and often had to take evaders to court to recover their money.
The toll houses were constructed in England as a kitset and shipped to New Zealand. Builders confirmed this, because of the way the weatherboards and casement windows fitted together. There was some speculation that this tollhouse might have been part of the Auckland Islands whaling station before being shipped to Dunedin, however, this has never been substantiated. In 1877, after the Tolls were abolished, the Bruce County Council sold the building for twenty pounds and it was moved to this site (then called Caudletown). The property was owned by John and Janet Meek and remained in their family until 1908. In September 1927, Jessie Duffy purchased the toll house and brought up three children within its walls. Her granddaughter, Sheena Duffy, says the building was larger then, with a kitchen and a laundry at the back. Ms Duffy's late parents, Bill and Noeline, continued to use the toll house after building their home nearby. The building was originally divided into two rooms, but the partition wall was removed in the 1970s. They managed to fit in a pool table and bunks so their children could have sleepovers and later, as teenagers, they held parties there. Noeline Duffy formed a trust with the idea of converting the toll house to a small museum. In 1997 it was granted a Category 2 classification by the New Zealand Historical Places Trust. Today Milton Area Promotions have two members on the Toll House Trust and together with the Milton Rotary Club and the people of Milton, have made the restoration of this small, iconic building a priority.
This is the last surviving Toll House in the South Island