Mount Victoria, New South Wales
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Mount Victoria is a village in the Blue Mountains of
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Geographically, Mount Victoria is the westernmost village and suburb of Greater Sydney on the Great Western Highway in the
City of Blue Mountains The City of Blue Mountains is a Local government in Australia, local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains, on th ...
, located about west-northwest by road from the
Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...
and at an altitude of about . At the 2021 Census, the settlement had a population of 945.


History

Mount Victoria is located on an escarpment plateau extension of
Mount York Mount York, a mountain in the western region of the Explorer Range, part of the Blue Mountains Range that is a spur off the Great Dividing Range, is located approximately west of Sydney, just outside Mount Victoria in New South Wales, Austral ...
, the site of a camp on the original Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813. The area was originally marked as ''One Tree Hill'' on an early map dating from 1834 by the Surveyor General, Sir Thomas Mitchell. This is why when the township was established in 1866 it was known as ''One Tree Hill''. After the road across the Blue Mountains was constructed a toll bar was opened about east from the present township in 1849 and the area was also known as ''Broughton's Waterhole Toll Bar''. Coaches were charged at the toll according to how well sprung they were, ones without springs were not charged as it was believed they would help crush the road surface. After the
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
, marking the termination of the
Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...
, was opened in 1868 the town also became known as Mount Victoria. The town's name was officially changed after the first Post Office was built in 1876. By the late 19th century, the town had become a prosperous settlement and many private schools, including The School, Mount Victoria, were founded in the area, which become somewhat of a
hill station A hill station is a touristic town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in Western imperialism in Asia, colonial Asia, but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by ...
retreat for wealthy Sydney families.


Demographics

At the 2021 Census, the population of Mount Victoria was 945. 75.8% of people were born in Australia and 88.8% of people spoke only English at home. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 56.3%.


Heritage listings

Mount Victoria has a number of heritage-listed sites, including the following sites listed on the
New South Wales State Heritage Register The New South Wales State Heritage Register, also known as NSW State Heritage Register, is a heritage list of places in the state of New South Wales, Australia, that are protected by New South Wales legislation, generally covered by the Heritag ...
: * Blue Mountains National Park:
Blue Mountains walking tracks The Blue Mountains walking tracks are heritage-listed picnic areas, walking tracks and rest areas located in the Blue Mountains National Park, west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. They were built from 1880 onwards. The property is owne ...
* Main Western railway:
Mount Victoria railway station Mount Victoria railway station is a heritage-listed former barracks and now staff accommodation, guest accommodation, railway signal box and railway station located on the Main Western line in Mount Victoria in the City of Blue Mountains loc ...
* Mount York Road (off): Cox's Road and Early Deviations – Mount York, Cox's Pass Precinct The following site are listed on other heritage registers: * Mount Victoria Manor was built in 1876 and was the home of the Fairfax family for some years before being converted to a hotel. * Imperial Hotel: The Imperial Hotel was constructed in 1878 and was significant for being the only hotel in the Blue Mountains to trade continuously under its own name. The hotel closed in 2016 pending renovations. As of 2025 it remains closed. * St Peter's Anglican Church: Designed by architect David Macbeath and built of sandstone in 1874–1875 by contractor Alexander Armstrong, this is the oldest
Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus Christ. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a syn ...
in the Blue Mountains. * Toll House: Constructed in 1849 the Toll House is one of only two surviving toll houses in New South Wales, the second oldest building in the Blue Mountains and one of only two surviving pre 1850s cottages in the Blue Mountains. * Mount Victoria Post Office: A
federation style Federation architecture is the architectural style in Australia that was prevalent from around 1890 to 1915. The name refers to the Federation of Australia on 1 January 1901, when the British colonies of Australia collectively became the Commonw ...
building constructed in 1896–1897. * Gatekeeper's Cottage: Constructed in 1868 this is one of only six remaining of twelve original gatekeeper's cottages in the Blue Mountains. * Mount Victoria Public School: Completed in 1877 it is possibly the oldest public school in the Blue Mountains.


Asgard Swamp coal mine

To the north-east of Mount Victoria lies the Asgard Swamp area, now part of the
Blue Mountains National Park The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately west of the Sydney CBD, and the park boundary is ...
. The area is the site of a coal mine that was developed in the nineteenth century, but which was ultimately unsuccessful. Six adits were driven into the coal seam by Walter Mackenzie and Thomas Garret, circa 1881. A coke oven was built and it was also proposed to build a tramline from Mount Victoria, but it is not known if this ever happened. The leases changed hands a few times over the years, but no work was done after 1908. Around the south and east edges of Asgard Swamp, there are the remains of huts used by the people who worked the mines.


Mount Victoria cemetery

Mount Victoria Cemetery, located one and a half kilometres south-east of the township, was established in 1881. Notable internees include John Berghofer, the builder of Berghofer's Pass at
Mount York Mount York, a mountain in the western region of the Explorer Range, part of the Blue Mountains Range that is a spur off the Great Dividing Range, is located approximately west of Sydney, just outside Mount Victoria in New South Wales, Austral ...
. (The pass, no longer used for vehicular traffic, has since been included in a network of walking tracks at Mount York. The Mount York area is now heritage-listed.) Other internees include members of the Lanfranchi family, owners of ''Marthaville'', a heritage-listed house on the Great Western Highway.


Imperial Hotel

The Imperial Hotel was constructed in 1878 and was significant for being the only hotel in the Blue Mountains to trade continuously under its own name. The hotel closed in 2016 pending renovations. It was sold in 2017, again in 2024 and then again in 2025. Despite plans for reopening it has remained closed during that time and repeatedly been broken into and vandalised.


Present day

Today, Mount Victoria is a small township with a large number of historic buildings and a few attractions including the Post Office, a Hall which is used as a cinema, the Imperial Hotel, the Toll Keepers Cottage and a museum at the railway station. The town is the starting point for many bushwalks and features several lookouts over the Kanimbla Valley including the lookout from Mount Piddington. The railway station, along with Lithgow, is the terminus for the Blue Mountains Line. The town is located at the junction of the
Great Western Highway Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...
and the Darling Causeway to
Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...
.
Transport for NSW Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is a Government of New South Wales, New South Wales Government transport services and roads List of New South Wales government agencies, agency established on 1 November 2011. The agency is a different entity to the NSW ...
is researching a major upgrade to the Great Western Highway with the view to bypass the township and the steep Victoria Pass down to Little Hartley to the west.


Transport

Blue Mountains Transit operates one bus route through the suburb of Mount Victoria: * 698V: Katoomba to Mount Victoria Mount Victoria has a
Railway Station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
.


Education

Mount Victoria has a Public School with 58 students. In 2025 the Australian Education Awards shortlisted the school among 6 other schools in the category of "Primary School of the Year - Government Sector". Putting it as one of the top 7 Government Primary Schools in Australia. The school opened in 1877 and is possibly the oldest public school in the Blue Mountains.


References


External links


Mount Victoria Website


{{authority control Suburbs of the City of Blue Mountains Mining towns in New South Wales