Hartley, at the base of the hill, was a town designated by early settlers and the government as a future regional centre. Unfortunately, particularly for the residents of Hartley, it was by-passed by the railway and, over a period, fell into disuse. Today we are left with a remarkable remnant of a town largely unchanged since the mid-nineteenth century. It is no more than a couple of dozen buildings but all have been beautifully preserved. Hartley is located 133 kilometres from Sydney and 700 metres above sea level.  By 1840 a town, with sixteen streets laid out in a grid system, had been surveyed. Most of this town was never completed. By 1846 there were 62 residents and 12 houses. By 1856, as a result of the gold rushes, the town had doubled in size. It was one of the major stopping points on the route from Sydney to the Turon goldfields and as a result it had butchers, blacksmiths, and hotels to serve the weary diggers and bullock drivers. Kerosene shale was discovered in the area in the 1860s. This enabled the production, within Australia,of paraffin oil and kerosene, which was quite a boon as most families, in those pre-electricity days, were reliant upon lighting from the cooking fire or, at best, candles. The discovery brought miners and their families and there were soon over 2000 people living in the area with shops, schools, farms and orchards in the area. The future of the town came to an abrupt end in 1869 when the railway line across the mountains was routed through Lithgow.  

Shamrock Inn - The Shamrock Inn, the last building in the main street, was built in 1856 and enjoyed enthusiastic patronage from the miners who passed through Hartley on their way to the goldfields. It is notable for its large number of chimneys and the prominent sagging of the roof.

St Bernard's Church and Presbytery - Over the road is St Bernard's Presbytery, built in the late 1850s, which has been well preserved. Once a home for the priests who held mass at St Bernard's Church (1848), it is now a private residence. The church has a distinctive French influence which, it is believed, was the result of an enthusiasm for French religious architecture by one of the early priests. The sandstone altar was hand-tooled to look like marble.

The Farmer's Inn - The Farmer's Inn dates from the mid-1840s. Originally built as a house by the Finn family it became an inn to take advantage of the accommodation requirements of miners heading for the Turon goldfields. It has changed a number of times but at core it was built of sandstock bricks and shingles - both of which can still be seen.

Ivy Cottage - beyond the Farmer's Inn is Ivy Cottage. It was built in the 1850s by the Finn family and soon became the Police Magistrate’s  house. It is claimed that the magistrate, whose major job seemed to be dealing with drunks, hated the location between the Farmer's Inn and the Shamrock Inn.

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