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Hartley Vale is located on western
side of the Blue Mountains about
half-way between Mt Victoria and Bell. But, in
the 1860's Hartley Vale was a bustling mining town
when mining commenced on a three foot seam of "coal" (actually
kerosene shale or torbanite) which was discovered
by William
Lawson. The ore was
carried by horse and cart to the near by railway
and then
on to Sydney for refining. This railway route from
the Causeway to near the top of the incline still
exists today as a walking
track and is also suitable for mountain
bikes.
Hartley Vale Railway Station, now abandoned, is
located on the Main Western Line on the Darling Causeway,
a narrow ridge separating the Grose and Coxs River
Valleys in the upper Blue Mountains.
The village grew quickly and there
were twelve pubs within the space of about a quarter
of a mile of the road in Hartley.
There were also numerous dwellings for the miners
and their families, a post office, the Company School,
a Temperance
Hall, an Oddfellows Hall, 3 bootmakers, a saddler,
and Mr. Skelly's butchery and bakery establishment.
Balmain's
Store
was said
to be a miniature department store supplying anything
required.
By 1913
the mining
operations ceased and all the mining families
moved away. Today Hartley Vale is a quiet rural
area.
Comet
Inn
The historic Comet Inn was built in 1879. The hotel was constructed to meet the
demands of the newly arrived shale miners. The Comet Inn was named after Comet
the brand of Kerosene produced in the valley. The Comet Inn is listed in the
History Highway Inns and it offers bed and breakfast accommodation, a restaurant
and function facilities, acres of gardens, an orchard and a walking track situated
opposite the old shale workings.
Hartley
Historic Site
Hartley Historic Site is a nineteenth
century village, located on the Great Western Highway
between Mt Victoria and Lithgow. The Hartley Historic
site has several well preserved convict built sandstone
buildings including
an impressive sandstone courthouse, churches and
inns.
Zig Zag Railway
The famous Zig Zag railway gets
its name from the fact it zig zags back and forth across the steep mountains
slope and sandstone viaducts. Trains run daily (except Christmas Day) Clarence
Station
The spring air is fresh and crisp with
the average temperature around 15 degrees Celsius.
Summer brings warm days with the occasional
cool night. The temperature in the mountains ranges
from cool and damp on the forest floors to hot and
dry on the plateaus. The summer temperature averages
22 degrees.
Autumn is a wonderful time in the
Blue Mountains with a magnificent display of autumn
leaves.
During winter the region receives
the occasional snowfall turning it into a magical
winter playground. The temperature at night can drop
as low as -8 degrees Celsius and can rise to a maximum
of 18 degrees during the day. The average temperature
for winter is 10 degrees.
Mountain weather can be unpredictable
and anyone hiking through this area should be prepared
for all conditions as you can experience quite rapid
changes in weather regardless of the season.
By Car
From Sydney the Blue Mountains can be approached
either
- Via Great Western Highway
(M4). This is the most direct and it is only
a 90-minute drive from Sydney to the centre of
the Blue Mountains region
- Via the Bells Line of Road through
Windsor and Richmond. This road was named after
the explorer Archibald Bell, who navigated the
route in 1823
By Train
Trains to the Blue Mountains depart Sydney's
Central Station hourly. The trip from Sydney to Mt
Victoria takes approximately 2 hours. Trains to Central
station can be accessed directly from Sydney airport.
Transport such as a taxi is then required from the
Mt Victoria train station.
By Coach
Several coach companies offer services to the Blue Mountains. There are also
shuttle services available from Sydney Airport and the Sydney Metropolitan
Area to and from all Blue Mountains accommodation.
Tourism Blue Mountains http://www.bluemountainstourism.org.au
If you would like to display your business here,
click here to contact us.
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