Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre

Hartley Historic Site

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Overview

Stop in at Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre to find out about the history of the buildings and town, book tours, and stock up on snacks and drinks.

Type
Visitor centres
Where
51 Old Great Western Highway, Hartley, NSW, 2790 - in Hartley Historic Site in Sydney and surrounds
Accessibility
Medium
Opening times

Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 4pm. Closed on Mondays, Public Holidays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 

What to
bring
Drinking water

Drop into Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre before you tour the village. As well as providing all the information you will need about Hartley’s buildings and history, it stocks a range of Australian souvenirs, snacks and drinks. Changing historical and art exhibitions give fascinating insights into the story of Hartley – spend some time checking out the old photographs and imagining the bustle of this little town in its heyday.

Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre is itself housed in a colonial building: the Farmers Inn. The central portion of this single-storey building, corresponding with the verandah, was the original part of the house. At either end of the building are added rooms, which were probably built when the building became an inn in about 1865. Some original iron roof survives today, as well as the chimneys.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Map


Map legend

Map legend

Current alerts in this area

There are no current alerts in this area.

Local alerts

For the latest updates on fires, closures and other alerts in this area, see https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/visitor-centres/hartley-historic-site-visitor-centre/local-alerts

Park info

See more visitor info

Visitor info

All the practical information you need to know about Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre.

Getting there and parking

On entering Hartley Historic Site:

  • Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre is on the Old Great Western Highway, opposite Hartley Courthouse and next to St Bernard’s Church.

Road quality

  • Sealed roads

Vehicle access

  • 2WD vehicles

Weather restrictions

  • All weather

Parking

Street parking is available on a gravel surface close to Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre. Bus parking is available.

Best times to visit

There are lots of great things waiting for you at Hartley Historic Site. Here are some of the highlights.

Spring

Enjoy the village as the days grow warmer and the trees are in blossom.

Summer

Bring the kids in the school holidays and step inside the amazing coolness of Hartley Courthouse, with its thick sandstone walls.

Weather, temperature and rainfall

Summer temperature

Average

12°C and 25°C

Highest recorded

38.4°C

Winter temperature

Average

1°C and 13°C

Lowest recorded

–8°C

Rainfall

Wettest month

January

Driest month

September

The area’s highest recorded rainfall in one day

179mm

Facilities

Public toilets, including an accessible toilet, are located behind the Old Post Office building, around 2mins walk away.

Picnic tables

Carpark

Maps and downloads

Safety messages

Mobile safety

Dial Triple Zero (000) in an emergency. Download the Emergency Plus app before you visit, it helps emergency services locate you using your smartphone's GPS. Please note there is limited mobile phone reception in this park and you’ll need mobile reception to call Triple Zero (000).

Accessibility

Disability access level - medium

Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre is mostly flat, but it's not step-free.

There are 2 entrances to the building:

  • Main entrance: You can reach this entrance from the road along a paved pathway. The entrance has 5 worn and uneven stone steps with a timber handrail on one side. 
  • Back entrance: Can be reached by crossing flat grass. There's a 140mm step into the back door and this door has a width of 800mm.

Inside the building is flat and step-free.

The nearest accessible toilets are 2min walk away behind the Old Post Office building.

Permitted

Pets

  • Dogs are permitted in Hartley Historic Site, but you’ll need to keep them on a leash at all times.

Prohibited

Smoking

NSW national parks are no smoking areas.

Visitor centre

Learn more

Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre is in Hartley Historic Site. Here are just some of the reasons why this park is special:

Aboriginal meeting place

Hartley Court House, Hartley Historic Site. Photo: John Spencer

Hartley was once a meeting place for the Wiradjuri from the west and Gundungurra tribes from the east. In colonial times, Hartley Courthouse served as a mustering point for Aboriginal people.

Excellent bushwalking on historic roads

Picnic area in Hartley Historic Site. Photo: Christina Bullivant

The Hartley area is great for bushwalking along the early roads. After your visit to the village, you may like to set out on Lawson's Long Alley, Lockyer's Pass or Berghofer's Pass. Check out the Lithgow Town and Around website for details. The rural setting of Hartley is welcoming and peaceful – perfect for a picnic or a satisfying stroll. Explore the interesting remnants of heritage plantings surrounding the buildings in the village and keep an eye out for the many birds that thrive amid the gardens and native forest.

  • Corneys Garage Nestled in the heart of Hartley Historic Site is Corneys Garage. Browse through a beautiful selection of antiques, while enjoying an immersive shopping experience near Lithgow.
  • Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre Stop in at Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre to find out about the history of the buildings and town, book tours, and stock up on snacks and drinks.

The story of settlement

Ivy Cottage, Hartley Historic Site. Photo: John Spencer

This exceptionally well-maintained village is of national historical significance as a substantial early nineteenth-century settlement. It tells modern visitors a great deal about the expansion of European development in inland Australia and the beautiful old buildings illustrate the changing role and fortunes of Hartley from first settlement of the inland to the beginning of the motor transport era. You can find out all sorts of interesting facts at the visitor centre and educational groups can book tours with advance notice on (02) 6355 2117.

  • Corneys Garage Nestled in the heart of Hartley Historic Site is Corneys Garage. Browse through a beautiful selection of antiques, while enjoying an immersive shopping experience near Lithgow.
  • Hartley Courthouse This fine example of colonial architecture allows you to imagine the convicts, magistrates and members of the public passing through its doors. Book a guided tour through Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre.
  • Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre Stop in at Hartley Historic Site Visitor Centre to find out about the history of the buildings and town, book tours, and stock up on snacks and drinks.
  • Hartley historical tour On this interactive Stage 3 (Years 5-6) History excursion, students visit key sites in the Hartley Historic Site colonial village: the courthouse, the gaol and St Bernards Church. They'll explore the history of how this key colony developed and take part in fun re-enactments with our Discovery Rangers. 
  • St Bernards Church Take a tour or arrange a wedding at St Bernards Church in Hartley, a lovingly preserved example of colonial sandstone architecture.

Education resources (1)

School excursions (1)