MOUNT VICTORIA HERITAGE TRAIL

Welcome to the Mount Victoria Heritage Trail

Welcome to the Mount Victoria Heritage Trail. Your immersive, step by step guided experience starts here in Mount Victoria, the westernmost village in the Blue Mountains, just a couple of hours drive or train ride west of Sydney CBD.

Join us on a journey into the varied and fascinating history of the area, and learn how different styles of architecture were constructed and how they are preserved today, all while breathing in some crisp mountain air.

Mount Victoria is unique amongst the Blue Mountains villages, owing to its distinctive rural character, historic charm, natural attractions and unique townscape. On this audio-guided tour, we’ll visit some of the most important sites which reveal the lesser-known stories of this quaint mountain village, helping you unearth its rich history and heritage.

This 1-kilometre heritage trail features 10 audible stories and nine points of interest which can be walked in a loop and joined at any point. The trail’s official starting point is at Mount Victoria Memorial Park, so following a brief introduction to the village and its history, we’ll commence our audio tour here. However, feel free to explore the sites of interest starting at any point along the trail, by navigating to the relevant story for that site.

Now it’s time to venture out and discover the tales, heritage and hidden treasures of historic Mount Victoria.

Mount Victoria’s History and Heritage

Mount Victoria is located within the Ngurra (or Country) of the Dharug and Gundungurra People. Blue Mountains City Council pays respect to Elders past and present, while recognising the strength, capacity and resilience of past and present Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Blue Mountains region.

European occupation began in the 1830’s, when a convict stockade was located here for the newly established road across the Blue Mountains, which included the technically challenging Victoria Pass, which opened in 1832. While known by several other names such as Hassan’s Walls, Broughton’s Waterhole and One Tree Hill, the village was not officially named Mount Victoria until 1868.

Historically, Mount Victoria was a significant thoroughfare and tourist destination. Mount Victoria was an important railway terminus on the western line for many years and was a major tourist town until after World War One. It was a bustling and fashionable resort village, serving as the main refreshment stop for train travellers to Bathurst, and the launch point for visits to the Jenolan Caves. Its enduring railway station complex and grand hotels testify to its former tourism heydays.

Following World War 1, villages like Blackheath and Katoomba overtook Mount Victoria in popularity as tourist destinations. However, its nineteenth century cultural landscape of rural open space within the village has been largely retained.

Join us on a walk back in time as we begin our tour of this town’s rich heritage at Mount Victoria Memorial Park.

Mount Victoria Memorial Park

Mount Victoria Memorial Park is located on the corner of Station Street and the Great Western Highway. This park is a large open space in the centre of the village. Here you’ll find several fascinating historical structures, including the ferro cement ‘Mock Rock’ grottos, the Wilson Memorial Gates, the war memorial, and the timber entertainment pavilion.

The park’s land was initially owned by Mary Finn from Hartley, back in 1865. When the holding was broken up the western part of what became the Park remained empty for many years and was called Beaumont’s Paddock. In 1913 the local Progress Association used the land for their centenary celebrations to memorialise the 1813 ‘crossing of the Blue Mountains’ by Europeans.

In 1916, the community erected a war memorial in the paddock. This War Memorial is said to be one of the first to be built in Australia. Visitors will notice names engraved on the memorial plaque. The names marked with asterisks denote those soldiers who did not return.

The eastern half of the park next to Station Street was used by the Imperial Hotel as a recreational area from around 1878. The inscription ‘Imperial Park’ on the faux-timber entrance structure serves as a reminder of the land’s former use.

The ‘Mock Rock’ structures were built in the 1930s to house a small zoo. They were designed by Tom Adams, who had already built similar structures at Taronga Park Zoo. Similar grottos exist in parks in Katoomba and Leura today. The zoo hosted several animals including a tame eagle, two kangaroos, a tame fox, snakes, lizards and beautiful birds. The zoo closed sometime in the late 1940s.

The Imperial Park was purchased by Blue Mountains Council in 1979 and finally the two halves were formally amalgamated into the Mount Victoria Memorial Park as we know it today.

Mount Victoria Police Station

From the park, head along Station Street in a northeasterly direction for about 120 metres and you’ll arrive at the trail’s second site, the Mount Victoria Police Station.

The Mount Victoria Police Station is a fine sandstone and brick structure, built in the late Victorian era. The building comprises four rooms, including the police office, a kitchen and two cells as well as a drill yard and attached residence. The entire building was constructed in 1887 at a cost of £800.

The need for a police station became apparent following Mount Victoria’s rise to popularity as a resort destination in the 1860s. There was also a lack of police facilities in the area. The station was subsequently designed by the New South Wales Government Architect, James Barnet, in 1886. Barnet was an influential and esteemed architect, responsible for several iconic buildings including the General Post Office and Customs House in Sydney.

Today, the Mount Victoria Police Station and residence form a coherent group of public buildings that contribute to the turn of the century character of Mount Victoria.

Fun fact: Police officers have historically lived at police stations in regional towns in New South Wales for a variety of reasons: In the early days of policing, it was not uncommon for officers to be required to live at the station as part of their duties, which often included being on call 24/7. This was particularly important in areas with large distances between police stations, such as in Mount Victoria during the early to mid-1880s. Living on-site also allowed officers to keep a closer eye on the station and its equipment, as well as maintaining a strong presence in the community.

Today, some police stations in regional and remote areas still offer on-site accommodation for officers.

Mount Victoria Railway Station

Cross over Station Street and continue along for another 190m or so to find your next historic treasure – the Mount Victoria Railway Station. Station Street can be very busy, so you may prefer to walk back towards the highway to cross at the traffic lights with pedestrian indicators.

Mount Victoria Railway Station opened on 1 May 1868 as the extension of the Great Western Railway, which previously only went as far as Weatherboard Creek - now Wentworth Falls. The complex of railway buildings is still the largest in the Blue Mountains today.

The station building began as a simple brick structure, with a timber platform and a goods shed. The station's history is closely linked to Jenolan (PRON: ‘Jen-ol-an’) Caves (previously known as Binda Caves or Fish River Caves), as early tourists from Sydney visiting the Caves had to disembark at Mount Victoria and travel on by horse and cart along the Six Foot Track until the Caves Express Train Service opened in 1920.

The modest station was eventually replaced in 1873-74 by the existing two-storey structure which included a large refreshment room and upstairs accommodation for the refreshment room manager, staff and travellers. The dining room could hold up to 200 people and three-course meals were served to travellers upon arriving at the station and before catching the next train.

The station also became a significant changeover point for goods and railway personnel with accommodation provided for the train crews and station guards. They were housed at the Railway Rest House that is still in use today.

Electrification in 1957 ended the steam train era. Faster trains serving food ‘on board’ and the increased use of automobiles resulted in the closure of the refreshment rooms in 1960. Today the station still services trains across the Mountains and to the west. It also houses the Mount Victoria Historical Museum, which holds an extensive and fascinating collection, and which is our next stop on our perusal of the past.

Mount Victoria Historical Museum

The Mount Victoria and District Historical Society present to the public the extraordinary collection of objects and exhibits housed at Mount Victoria Museum, located at the rear of the Mount Victoria Railway Station.

The building is a two-storey sandstone structure which formerly served as the station’s refreshment rooms. It comprises 16 rooms including upstairs accommodation, supporting reception area, hallways, staircases and kitchen.

The museum collection includes a variety of themed exhibits over the two floors. It includes a kitchen and scullery display, refreshment room tableware from when the room was the railway station dining quarters, convict relics, settlers exhibits and much more.

Other visual displays also commemorate different aspects of the area’s history. A display to commemorate the bicentenary of the crossing of the Blue Mountains features sketches, paintings and artefacts depicting the work of the explorers, road builders, tradesmen and convicts.

You’ll also come across tools and farming equipment, costumes and accessories, pottery, historic railways tableware, musical instruments and furniture from our pioneering past. Stand-out exhibits include a wooden horse-drawn buggy, displays on unique local schools, a World War 1 saddle used in the Light Horse Brigade, and an 1899 silk wedding dress.

The Museum also features some exhibits that offer you a rare opportunity to truly ‘get in touch’ with the past, through tactile exploration. Check out the indented text of the Mount Victoria milestone marker or the 3D metal maker’s mark on the old cast iron horse trough located at the entrance garden of the museum. Once inside, feel the craftsmanship of the beautifully carved nineteenth century bar with its distinguished leather top.

The Museum is open on Saturdays from midday to 3 pm, and an hourly train service from Sydney to the door of the museum runs on weekends.

Viewpoint towards Former Coopers Grand Hotel

Follow the footpath leading south from the Museum for about 120 metres back towards the village centre to find a plaque and marked viewpoint. This location looks northwest towards the former Cooper’s Grand Hotel, which was one of the ‘big three’ hotels in the town, along with the Imperial, and the Victoria and Albert Guesthouse.

During the 1800s, the Blue Mountains became a popular summer retreat for Sydney's upper class. Summer heat, overcrowding and lack of proper sewerage made the city of Sydney a very unpleasant place. The odour was widely believed to carry diseases such as cholera, typhoid and smallpox. The wealthy John Fairfax, well-known newspaper proprietor and founder of the Sydney Morning Herald, bought land in Mount Victoria in 1876 to enjoy the fresh air as he suffered from bronchitis. He built a single-storey country retreat known as ‘The Manor House’, overlooking the town and facing the railway station. Sadly, he died in 1877, not long after the house was completed.

After a few unsuccessful years as a guesthouse and then a private boarding school, George Hubbard Cooper bought the property in 1887. After obtaining a liquor licence, he re-opened the building as a guest house, soon changing the name to the ‘Grand Hotel’ in 1891. The establishment then became known as the ‘Cooper’s Grand Hotel’. Around 1890 Cooper constructed another two-storey building next to the original house, as well as adding an unusual observation tower. In 1900 he further expanded the property, adding a second storey to the original building, referred to as the south wing, and a private golf course within the grounds. After Cooper’s death the property remained in the family’s ownership until the 1960s.

Since then, this historic property has undergone a series of ownership and name changes. Today it proudly operates as Hotel Etico, Australia’s first social enterprise hotel, offering employment and independent living opportunities to young people with disability. Find out more about this unique and purposeful accommodation experience at hoteletico.com.au.

Victoria & Albert Guesthouse

Head back south along the same side of Station Street for around 90 metres to locate the Victoria & Albert Guesthouse. This hospitality hotspot is steeped in rich history, having acted as hotel, a boarding school, and a home for returned World War II soldiers.

This was Mount Victoria’s first hotel, originally named the Royal Hotel. It was built by Mary Finn of Hartley to capitalise on the opening of the Mount Victoria Railway Station. Subsequently renamed ‘The Royal’, it became operational in 1868 under the management of William Orbell. It was a substantial building, containing a bar, dining-room, three parlours, 11 bedrooms, kitchen, servants' room, 10-stall stable and hayloft.

In 1915, the Sydney Morning Herald predicted Mount Victoria as the next Mountains village ripe for development, and in anticipation of it’s potential, William Lees bought the hotel in 1914, renaming it Hotel Mount Victoria. He replaced the former building with a modern, magnificent guesthouse that attracted holidaymakers and speculators. In 1925, Lees also purchased the Imperial Hotel, achieving dominance in the local tourism industry.

During the early years of World War II, the property was occupied by shift workers from the Lithgow Armaments Factory. Due to impending invasion threats during World War II, the Church of England Grammar School bought the building to temporarily board 75 students from Sydney during 1942. Following the war, it became a convalescent home for returned servicemen.

In 1975, the Victoria & Albert Guesthouse was once again turned into a flourishing establishment and continues to operate as a hotel and guesthouse today.

Reflecting the architectural style of the early twentieth century, the hotel comprises a 26-bedroom guesthouse, a separate caretaker’s cottage and former stables outbuilding. Period details can be found throughout, including a grand entry foyer, decorative cornicing, stained leadlight windows and a framed two storey veranda with turned timber posts.

Former Mount Victoria Public Hall

Departing the Victoria & Albert Guesthouse, turn left down Harley Avenue to find the former site of the Mount Victoria Public Hall, built in 1934 and now home to the popular Mount Vic Flicks Cinema. This iconic landmark reflects local civic pride, being Mount Victoria’s purpose designed public hall. The building has served as the town’s meeting place for social events and community activities for the last 90 years.

In comparison to other buildings on this trail which exude a grand, elaborate architectural style, the Mount Victoria Public Hall showcases more modest construction. Its simpler architecture is influenced by the Interwar Free Classical style, reflecting the economically uncertain times in which it was built, just as the depression was easing. The building interiors are mostly intact with original features such as decorative metal vents and door architraves. The leather seats and red curtains provide a glimpse into the golden age of Australian country picture theatre culture. The hall has been extended on either side and a projection room has been added to the rear of the hall above the entry doors.

Today, the building houses the Mount Vic Flicks, an independent cinema known for its beautifully curated art-house program and much-loved community events. This enduring use has given the building an additional layer of heritage significance for its adaptation of the old Hall.

The Imperial Hotel

Head back to Station Street and turn left towards the Great Western Highway. In 110 metres you’ll encounter the historic Imperial Hotel, located at 1 Station Street.

Possibly Australia’s oldest resort hotel, the iconic grandeur and character of the Imperial Hotel, built in 1878, stands as a testament to Mount Victoria’s era of prevalent tourism. It is the only hotel in the Blue Mountains that has traded under one continuous name without interruption.

The Imperial is believed to have hosted distinguished guests such as Lord Carrington and the Earl and Countess of Onslow, as well as a visit from the New South Wales Governor in 1913.

The Imperial Hotel, which stands on part of the land that was originally granted to Mary Finn, was established by John Leeming in 1877, replacing a small hut which served as a schoolhouse. By 1900, it was considered one of the grandest hotels of the Blue Mountains.

In 1912, following a serious fire which destroyed part of the original premises, the hotel and surrounding lands were sold to James Joynton-Smith, who became one of the Blue Mountains’ most successful businessmen. He also published The Daily Guardian and established Sydney's first radio station. Later, he was appointed Lord Mayor of Sydney from 1917-18. In March 1925 he sold the Imperial Hotel to William Lees who also purchased what’s now known as the Victoria and Albert Guesthouse. The hotel ownership changed hands several times in the ensuing years.

The hotel’s size is significant. In 1881 it was described in the papers as “one of the largest hotels in the Colonies”. It featured 30 guest rooms and a ballroom. The outside of the building displays distinct architectural details, such as the crenelated parapets, which add a castle-like feature to the roofline. The Royal Coat of Arms, displayed above its entrance doors is possibly related to the 1901 royal visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to Australia.

Former Mount Victoria Post Office

Cross Station Street at the traffic lights and then again to cross the highway and take a nostalgic wander past the former Mount Victoria Post Office, located at 109 Great Western Highway, near the intersection with Station Street.

The former Mount Victoria Post Office was designed by the Government Architect Walter Liberty Vernon. In the early 1890s he was the leading exponent of the emerging local variant of the Queen Anne Revival style of architecture that today is known as the Federation style.

The post office service in Mount Victoria commenced on 1 January 1866 under the name of ‘One Tree Hill Post Office’ from a small building once located near the railway station in Station Street. The Telegraph Office and Post Office service amalgamated in 1870, and the area’s name formally changed to Mount Victoria in 1876.

In 1895 plans for a new post office building were made. These included a public lobby, office and residential accommodation. On 2 April 1897 the new post office was officially opened by the Postmaster General, Joseph Cook. Additional works were also approved and included a battery room to power the Morse equipment, a servant's room and a shed for the postman’s horse. The Post Office ceased operations in 1994 and is now under private ownership.

The former Post Office building is a fine example of Federation Arts and Crafts style architecture. It features rusticated and dressed stone, a slate roof embellished by terracotta cresting and rams horn finials, and arched windows containing coloured and obscured glass engraved with descriptions reading ‘Money Order Office’, ‘Post and Telegraph Office’ and ‘Commonwealth Bank of Australia Savings Bank Department’.

From this final site, you may wish to cross back over the highway to return to your starting point at Mount Victoria Memorial Park in Station Street.

Accessibility

Mount Victoria is the westernmost village in the Blue Mountains, outside Sydney. It’s an easy two hours’ drive west of Sydney CBD via the Great Western Highway. Alternatively, trains arrive and depart from Mount Victoria Station on a regular basis from both the east and west along the Blue Mountains line from Sydney CBD to Bathurst. Regular public buses to Mount Victoria are also available.

Accessible public parking is available 135 metres from the official starting point of the Heritage Walk, at the formal entrance to Mount Victoria Memorial Park on Station Street. Accessible public bathrooms are located within Mount Victoria Memorial Park, along a wheelchair accessible footpath which extends from the accessible parking area to the official start point of the Heritage Trail. If you’re travelling with an assistance animal, there are plenty of parks and grassy verges along the trail suitable for their toileting.

The Heritage Trail largely follows street footpaths with variable conditions. The walking surfaces are generally quite level, though there are some small inclines along the way. Please note that visiting all sites included in this audio guide requires the crossing of three roads. The Great Western Highway and Station Street can be crossed at traffic lights with visual and audible pedestrian crossing indicators. However, there is no formal crossing point on Harley Avenue, which typically has less traffic. Please take care when crossing all streets.

The main entrance to the Mount Victoria Heritage Museum is at the rear of the building behind the station platform. Level access from the car park and railway platform is suitable for wheelchairs. However, wheelchair access is only available to the ground floor of this attraction. The staircase within this building is from the Victorian era, so it's steep and narrow, with a single handrail. There is also a single step down into the laundry area of the building.