Things to do around Hartley, NSW

Things to do around Hartley, NSW: Best Trails, Day Trips and Hidden Gems:

There’s some very interesting and adventurous things to do around Hartley, NSW. It’s a good spot for history buffs. Both Hartley and Little Hartley, are well-preserved examples of colonial villages, at the edge of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. Time seems to have slowed down here, as you literally step back into the 19th century.

From the iconic Post Office Cafe, with it’s picket fence and aromatic rosemary bushes to the monumental Court House – an architectural wonder of it’s time, and holding stories from a bygone era of  bushrangers who roamed the Australian wilderness during the colonial period. The Hartley area was close proximity to key routes and hidden valleys, often a point of interest for outlaws like Ben Hall and Frank Gardiner.

You’ll see what life was like in the early pioneering days of Australian history.

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The historic Post Office Store. Hartley, NSW. Photography Therese Waddell @Travellarks

Explore the Blue Mountains and Scenic Drives

For adventure seekers, the Blue Mountains offer plenty to explore from Katoomba to Jenolan Caves, with easy day trips to nearby towns like Oberon, Bathurst, and Mudgee. As well, scenic drives provide beautiful views and unique experiences.

There is hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing as well if you’re looking for real adventure. The main event -19 minutes away, is the spectacular Blue Mountains.

While Little Hartley is small, it offers a cosy little escape, with a unique spot for those with a sweet tooth. This charming shop offers a delightful selection of nostalgic lollies and handmade treats. Whether you’re exploring nature or soaking up local history, both Hartleys have a little something for everyone.

Wellness & Pampering Around Hartley, NSW

• Blue Mountains Japanese Bath House: 5-15 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW.
• Nevaeh Beauty: Services include facials, body treatments, waxing, and massage, all tailored to provide a relaxing experience. 11/10-12 Wentworth St, Blackheath, NSW.
• Blackheath Fitness; gym offering fitness classes, personal training, and a wide range of wellness services – strength training, yoga, or group fitness sessions. 2/51-53 Govett’s Leap Rd, Blackheath, NSW.
• Blue Mountains Wellness Clinic: Holistic healing tailored to the unique needs of older adults. With a foundation in naturopathy, they offer preventive care and natural treatment options.

Explore & Discover Little Hartley, Hartley and Surrounds

Little Hartley, NSW:

• Gory’u Japanese Gardens and the Maple Springs Nursery: It’s s so peaceful here alongside the nursery where you can find a variety of plants and horticultural products. 85 Baaners Ln, Little Hartley
• The Sweet Shop: A Lolly Kingdom with an amazing range of sweets. 2297 Great Western Highway Little Hartley, NSW

Hartley, NSW:

• Hartley Historic Site: Just off the Great Western Highway, Hartley. Today, ancient gnarled roots of trees dot the area and stand as silent witnesses to centuries of change and a walk through the village of Hartley is now a peaceful one, with the odd spotting of a few resident kangaroos.

• See The monumental Courthouse, designed by colonial architect Mortimer Lewis, and once home to fiesty prisoners – notorious bushrangers and cattle thieves. The Courthouse is stil a pretty imposing structure even today, built of sturdy sandstone.

• Keep walking through the Hartley Historic Village and see more colonial buildings like St Bernards Church and Presbytery.

• And the Shamrock Inn, once built as a family residence for Patrick Phillips around 1840, then opened as an Inn for a few years for the miners during the Gold Rush Period. If only the walls could talk!

• See our Bush Walks and Scenic Trails below.

Hartley Surrounding Areas :

• Watch a flick at Mount Victoria Cinema
• Centennial Glen Stables – 448 Kanimbla Dr, Blackheath
• Blue Mountains Stargazing for night sky tours & events
• Gang Gang Gallery: See the works of talented regional artists and one of a kind pieces for sale. 170-172 Great Western Hwy, Blackheath.
• Blackheath Golf Club: 1 Golf Links Rd, Blackheath.
• Blue Mountains National Park: enjoy plenty of outdoor activities, including hiking, bird watching, and exploring scenic viewpoints. The Glenbrook entrance offers easy access to the park’s best features. Glenbrook, Blue Mountains.
• Hop on the Zig Zag Railway, Lithgow: 9 mins from Hartley and just 15 minutes from the Blue Mountains. Established in 1869, the whole family will love the excitement of a steam ride in a romantic and nostalgic train. Hot Tip: Book ahead for seats to avoid disappointment.
• The Campbell Rhododendron Garden: Garden lovers paradise at 2-12 The Boulevarde, Blackheath.

Bush Walks and Scenic Trails:

Hike some of the best trails in NSW. For mountain biking and trail riding, networks can be found via Trail Forks

• Blue Mountains National Park (Glenbrook Entrance): bushwalking options from easy to challenging. Popular walks in the Glenbrook area include the Nepean Lookout and Lennox Bridge, with amazing views and maybe spot wildlife.
• Govetts Leap: fairly easy walk to the lookout to see the Falls.
• Centennial Glen Walk: moderate hike with various trails through lush forests, with plenty of opportunities to spot wildlife. 448 Kanimbla Dr, Blackheath.
• Lockyer’s Pass: a historic bushwalk that follows part of the old convict-built Cox’s Road. The pass was one of the original access points for early settlers into the Blue Mountains. Lockyer’s Pass, off the Great Western Highway, near Mount York.
• The Six Foot Track: a famous hikes – 45 km through beautiful forests, along ridgelines with waterfalls. It’s a multi-day trek but worth it for serious hikers. Starts at Katoomba and ends at Jenolan Caves.
• Blue Gum Forest Walk: beautiful and relatively easy walk into forest. Accessible from the Govetts Leap Lookout.
• Grand Canyon Walk: It’s a 6km walk with many steep sections, constant stairs and creek crossings. Spectacular through lush rainforest, past waterfalls, and cliffside paths. Evans Lookout, Blackheath.
• Hassan’s Walls Lookout: Technically not a bushwalk but a short, quick walk. Hassan’s Walls Rd, Lithgow.
• The Megalong Valley Walk: moderate walk with views of the valley floor, cliffs, and native bushland. A great spot if you’re into birdwatching. Accessible from Blackheath.

Good Eats  Around Hartley, NSW

• @thekingstablebathurst i.e. Kings Table Restaurant is located within the Kings Hotel is a family friendly eatery located at 60 George St, Bathurst NSW. Reviews boast wholesome meals, great service & food.
• Country Pubs at Blackheath, Tarana, Rydal & Oberon
• The Lithgow Tin Shed: Scrumptious! 69 Bridge St, Lithgow NSW
• Blue Mountains Picnic
• Anonymous Milkbar and Tapas – No School Like The Old School motto, specialising in simple, classic burgers, hotdogs, tacos, and old-school milkshakes. They are committed to providing you a great value meal with quality ingredients and fun atmosphere.
• Blackheath Bakery Patisserie: 6 Govetts Leap Rd, Blackheath
• Red Door Café: delicious breakfasts, great house made salads and light lunches. 134 Leura Mall 
• The Lolly Bug!

Foodies Around Hartley, NSW: Gourmet Flavours, Markets and Providores

• Leura Gourmet Deli and Cafe – all sorts of gourmet goodies from pickles to jams, sweet treats, fresh juices, smoothies, puddings, six eyed scorpion chilli oils, coffee, platters, breaky and more! Located at 159 Leura Mall, Leura NSW 2780
• Sorenson’s Glasshouse & Gardens – restaurant on two acres of stunning gardens, established by Danish-born landscape gardener Paul Sorensen, and only 2km from Leura Mall. Check opening times on website – 8 Herbert St, Leura
• The Blue Fox Bistro: A modern bistro offering contemporary Australian and European-inspired dishes. 277 Main St, Lithgow, NSW
• Alchemy Pizza, Hartley
• Frankies Restaurant & Bar Lithgow: family operated Italian dine in and takeaway. 70 Chifley Rd, Vale of Clwydd NSW
• Blackheath Growers Markets – 2nd Sunday of each month
• Sincerely, Cake – one of the best cake shops in the Blue Mountains! Located at  10/195-196 Great Western Hwy, Hazelbrook
• Leura First Sunday Markets
• Logan Brae Orchards – occupying the same land over 100 years ago. Logan Brea is a family run orchard and the only remaining orchard on the Shipley Plateau, located 5 minutes from Blackheath. Visit during apple season from March to June or picnic with views of the stunning Blue Mountains
• Blue Mountains Edible Garden Trail. Over the weekend of 25th & 26th October 2025, backyard growers, large and small, from up and down the Blue Mountains will open their gardens to the public to share their passion and knowledge and inspire environmental sustainability.

Retail Escapes Around Hartley, NSW

• The Talisman Gallery in the old wool shed, Hartley. You’ll be lucky to arrive when it’s open to meet one arty hippy blacksmith, the highly skilled, artisan Ron Fitzpatrick. His work is one of a kind and all for sale. Unique jewellery, mirrors, clocks, candle holders and sculpture – a beautiful eclectic mix of ironwork and stained glass.  53 Old Great Western Hwy, Hartley
• Bilingarra – created by Wiradjuri artist Brett Groves, is the Bilingarra Indigenous Art and Culture in Bowenfels, – a hub for brilliant artworks, workshops and to see the beauty of Indigenous culture or browse the cultural space to retell the truth of our Indigenous history. The aim here is to create a sense of pride for all Australians into the future. Located at 1006 Great Western Hwy, Bowenfels. Call Brett on +61 (0) 405 529 958
• Maharani Boutique – “A place for wonder, delight and down to earth luxury – like butterflies in a garden, fish in a crystal clear stream, like fireflies in a Balinese paddy field, we know you’ll love it!” This gorgeous boutique and couture goddess Eleanor (and divine helpers), emerged 12 years ago as the culmination of our lifetimes love of clothing, beauty, textures and travel. Organic, natural and ethical is preferred, offering a diverse range of Australian and European labels, jewellery and accessories lovingly selected from all over to bring you joy. Located at Shop 7, Strand Arcade,176-180 The Mall, Leura.

• Teddy Sinclair – high quality, hand-crafted leather bags for men and women, beautiful accessories – grooming, jewellery and more. Located at 177 Leura Mall
• Leura Vintage – from the 1800’s through to the 60’s and beyond, this precious vintage store for men and women oozes plenty of stories and fun. There’s dresses, brooches, necklaces, earrings, vintage coats, hats, Hawaiian shirts, new records, cufflinks, gloves, scarves, sunglasses, home wares, barware and much more.
• Hazelbrook Cottage Antiques – this is a museum where everything is for sale! Located at 33 Railway Parade, Hazelbrook
• The Nook Craft Co Op –  a fabulous co-op in the main street of Leura showcasing the work of local artists, designers and artisans. You’ll be hard pressed to walk away with nothing – from hand made silk scarves, macrame plant hangers, pottery, silver trinkets, jams, crochet beauties etc as well as a high standard of fashion and homewares. Located at 133A Leura Mall
• Zoe Clare – offers curated collections for all sizing with timeless, classic and elegant pieces for the modern woman Certified Style Coach, Jen Whitehouse. Located in the heart of Leura
• Gifts On The Mall – If you love local, you’ll be in heaven. Be inspired for all occasions
• Megalong Books – an independent bookshop in Leura. This bookstore has a very large selection of old and new books that any bookworm would fall in love with. They of course stock your newest and hottest books but also stock a very large quantity of those old and forgotten classics meaning that everyone will find something that they love in this store. You might even spot the awesome Gina Chick! 183 Leura Mall, Leura NSW

• Moontree – Founded by Blue Mountains based artist, Kate Soady, her stunning work is available for sale in the gallery. Moontree is a “temple of light, filled with colour, candles, beautiful hand made gifts and unique homewares. The result is a feast for the senses and a creative haven of inspiration and shopping experience
• Dan The Fisherman – Owner Dan made the decision to start a small business offering more bargain priced lures and accessories focusing on freshwater species for both the entry level fisherman and experienced alike. Apple Tree Ln, Little Hartley – Ph 0413 808 502
• Katoomba Vintage Emporium – Two floors of vintage, retro and contemporary wares, antiques, furniture, clocks, lighting, homewares, gifts and so much more – 59 Katoomba St, Katoomba
• Gang Gang Gallery – See the works of talented regional artists and one of a kind pieces for sale. 170-172 Great Western Hwy, Blackheath.

If you think that Hartley and its surrounds sounds like an amazing holiday destination, check out our Stays with a WOW accommodation.