Hartley Historic Site

Absolutely love this place to see this historical village where convicts were and to learn a bit of history of your past, you can even check out inside the courthouse and church even ring the church bell, and don't forget about the antique shop where you can get yourself a souvenir.

Lovely spot to stop to appreciate Aboriginal art and culture. Highly recommend. A must if you're in the mountains.

A lovely, peaceful self guided tour plus a couple of well marked walks. An excellent spot to stop on a drive west from Sydney, which will be even better once the Post Office Cafe is open again ☺

Nice little area with 5 remaining colonial houses around. Sadly you can't go in but there are quite a bit to see around. The courthouse and the church. There's also self guide tours available next to the church.

You feel there are some energies here, takes you back to 1800’s, calms your mind, beautiful solitary place to visit

We literally stumbled on this place when we were looking for things todo, on the way to Lithgow. Our first question was how much, we were surprised and impressed that the historic village that is located just off, just off the Great Western Highway. We highly advise, the visitor, to visit the Hartley visitor centre, located in the farmers inn, have a chat to the friendly staff, look around the small museum, and grab a map.

Due to co-vid we had the place to our-selves, it was so nice to walk amongst the preserved buildings, (see piccies attached), taking it all in. The Talisman Sculpture Walk, located behind the post office/cafe is a must as is a visit to

Where we would normally rush back to Sydney, we took the turn-off to Hartley. What a great surprise. With lots of informative information panels we strolled through the town, and learned about the rich history of the place. A visit to the antiques store is like stepping back into childhood. Fantastic!

A great detour, a quiet spot with buildings that help you really sense what life was like 150 years ago. Don’t miss the walk down to the river, to see the ruins of a cottage and farm, and wonderful river course. Not much going on (no latte’s etc) but that’s part of the charm

Beautiful historic location, lots of old dwellings, and beautiful lost crafts

Step into this historic inland settlement among the sandstone buildings of Hartley Historic Site, on the western edge of the Blue Mountains near Lithgow. Stay in the newly renovated historic cottages. The village also offers a gallery and tours.

Step back in time within the historic village of Hartley set into the western edge of the beautiful Blue Mountains. Set among pastures, orchards, native plants and nineteenth and twentieth-century cottage gardens, the village’s lovely sandstone buildings preserve an important piece of history: the settlement of inland Australia.

Seventeen buildings tell the story of the village, from the 1837 Greek Revival courthouse to Corneys Garage, built in 1945 of timber and iron. Explore the artefacts and family histories, find out about the region’s past at the visitor centre, or enjoy a picnic in the absolute serenity of historic Hartley.

In recognition of Hartley’s heritage significance, an exciting revitalisation plan is being developed, with improved facilities and new exhibition spaces. There are already a number of fascinating tours and events held at Hartley, so call ahead to get involved.

Wow - what a wonderful weekend our family just spent in Hartley!
We stayed in the lovely Old Trahlee Cottage which was so comfortable and beautifully restored without losing the charm and feeling of history - well done National Parks & Wildlife service 😃
There were some really interesting buildings to visit and our grandchildren loved both the courthouse & the church
Another favourite & probably the best was The River Walk
Thank you for a brilliant weekend Hartley - we will return

The Ranger we had gave us a very good talk learnt lots.we were on a bus trip.

Such a beautiful place to have a walk around, see a bit of history and enjoy the beautiful views

Enjoyed this. A historic village in beautiful surroundings. Information centre lady was knowledgeable and friendly. Information plaques were plentiful and the video display of photos from the 19th Century was intriguing. Get a free map and walk around admiring the restored sandstone and slab buildings and pristine creek walkway. Only a small fee of $8.80/person (2023) gives you entry to the Courthouse, Gaol and Church. This is an activity for any weather. We spent 2 hours meandering around the buildings and creek, but could have spent longer if we'd brought a picnic.

This historic village has so much to offer! I’m a local but never ventured out to the village before and decided to do a self guided tour. I started in the courthouse, then the holding cells and lastly St Bernard’s Church.

The courthouse has such a significant role in the history of not only Hartley but the blue mountains as well. The courthouse is set up well with educational displays, but its unique architecture is what really captured me. Connected to the courthouse is the holding cells, which featured an educational hologram which is something I hadn’t seen before! The holding cells still had its original markings on the walls from people held there.

The church was my last stop, its beautiful stained windows and sandstone exterior looked so picturesque in the sun. It’s on top of a hill and there are some surrounding trees with a bench and an open space so you have plenty of room to enjoy its surroundings. A friend and I even sat down on the grass and had a quick break to enjoy the sun. Once you go inside it’s bigger then it seems, I was surprised at how well preserved the church is and its gothic inspired architecture.

I also went on the river walk down the bottom of the village which was an easy but beautiful walk. The river is so clear and the sound of the waters and surrounding nature make you forget the highway is nearby. Even saw a little platypus!

Would definitely recommend this visit to everyone, what a unique, special part of the mountains that I wish I had known about earlier.

Nice, calm place. We loved the river walk as well. Its charming.

Historic buildings with some great history. Some good walks and toilets available

Well worth a stop and look around historic buildings here

Awesome little spot to stop and look around

We visited the Hartley Historic Site without buying a tour and the information provided was very interesting and made some great photos with the old buildings. Cold drinks and ice-cream is available for purchase, and the amenities were very clean and spacious. I'm sure a tour inside the buildings would be very interesting, but as a stop during a roadtrip, the free version was enough.