Blue Mountains Touring Guide - Blue Mountains, Australia

	Hartley & Hartley Historic Village 135km to 145km from Sydney Your journey down to the plains of the western foothills starts with Victoria Pass, constructed in 1832 by Major Mitchell (who also has a cockatoo named after him). It was a mammoth building effort with convict gangs cutting stone out of the cliffs to use as fill between the rifts. The narrowest part of the pass - with carved stone caps clearly visible - is supported below by the huge sandstone rampart. Convict Rampart on Mt Victoria Pass The Kanimbla Valley is on your left and the Hartley Valley (or Vale of Clwydd) on your right. Not far after the bottom of the pass (and after passing historic Rosedale, an 1839 hostelry) turn left into Coxs River Road for a pleasant rural drive. The road leads through Marsden Swamp and emerges near Hampton on the Jenolan Caves Road. Back on the highway, note several wonderful historic buildings. On the corner of Coxs River Rd is the old ‘Harp of Erin’ (1832) and Williams Store (1869). Opposite is the old ‘Rose Inn’ and further along is ‘Mead’s Farm’. Next comes a right turn, leading to the quaint village of Hartley Vale, once a shale mining centre and home of the historic Comet Inn (1879). This road links up with the Darling Causeway between Mount Victoria and the Bells Line of Road. Just outside Hartley vale you will see a lovely wooded picnic area. This is where all the pioneer roads down from the top of Mt York meet. And a short distance away - looking as proud as ever - is the Mountains’ oldest surviving building; Collits’ Inn, 1823. It was built by Pierce Collits who had been transported to the penal colony in 1801 for receiving stolen goods. His wife and daughters came with him as free settlers. Originally called ‘the Golden Fleece’, the inn was one of the best-known resting places for travellers. Please select to see what's close by view accommodation view restaurants & dining view other business	BLUE MOUNTAINS TOURING GUIDE Blue Mountains Grand Circular Drive Click on village names to see full details All material contained in this touring guide is copyright of Jayarnda Pty Ltd and may not be reproduced for any commercial purpose whatsoever without permission. Ph 02 6355 6292 The final resting places of Pierce Collits and his wife are in fact just a hundred metres or so behind their old home, tucked in bushes amid an almost forgotten historic graveyard. Several other wellknown pioneer graves are there too. Back on the highway you will pass one of the region’s oldest graveyards at Little Hartley, occupied with many famous pioneer names including Morris and Finn. Next comes what must surely be mainland Australia’s most important colonial site - Hartley Historic Village - run by the NPWS. This is the closest you’ll ever get to stepping back to the 1830s colony of convict gangs, soldiers, trials, gold diggers, coaches, bullocks and taverns. While many wonderfully preserved buildings still stand, in the 1840s to 1860s the hillside was covered with scores more houses and a large network of roads. It was a thriving community. Sandstone Couthouse at Hartley The most significant building is the beautiful 1837 sandstone courthouse, which saw the trials of hundreds of convicts. See the convict graffiti carved into the walls of the cells and hear tapes of actual court cases heard there. The village also boasts Australia’s oldest post office.

	Blue Mountains Grand Circular Drive Penrith/Emu Plains to Lapstone ~ Glenbrook to Blaxland ~ Springwood & Valley Heights ~ Faulconbridge Linden to Woodford ~ Hazelbrook/Lawson/Bullaburra ~ Wentworth Falls ~ Leura ~ Katoomba Medlow Bath ~ Blackheath ~ Megalong Valley ~ Mount Victoria ~ Hartley & Hartley Historic Village Hampton to Jenolan Caves ~ Oberon ~ Lithgow ~ Mount Wilson ~ Bells Line of Road The Hawkesbury Richmond/Windsor ~ Bathurst/Mudgee & Beyond The Blue Mountains