Where We Are
The highest village in the Blue Mountains. Cooler, quieter, closer to the walks.
Getting Here
Hat Hill Cottage sits on the edge of Blackheath, a village at 1,065 metres above sea level. The air is thinner, the light clearer, the nights colder - astro-photography heaven. In winter, frost settles on the grass by dawn. In summer, the temperature rarely climbs above 26 degrees. The train from Central Station takes two hours and stops at Blackheath. By car, it is ninety minutes along the Great Western Highway.
The Setting
The cottage sits on a bush block surrounded by waratahs, scribbly gums and grass trees. The block is left untamed - it is maintained just enough to feel like a clearing in the bush. From the balconey, you look across the magnificent Grose Valley to the ridges beyond. At dusk, the wallabies emerge. At night, the stars are visible in a way they have not been in Sydney for a century.
Grass Trees, Waratahs, Scribbly Gums
Grose Valley to the east, Megalong to the south
Wallabies, Roos, Lyrebirds, Rosellas, Superb Fairy Wrens, Black and White Cockatoos, a dawn chorus of Currawongs and many more
Everything you need, nothing you do not.
Sourdough, pastries, good coffee. Opens at 6am.
Second-hand and new. The owner knows every title. A cat named Eliot.
Good food, even better coffee.
Second Sunday of every month. Local produce, honey, preserves, plants, sourdough.
The best view in the mountains. Five minutes drive. Sunrise recommended.
Apples and apple produce - yes Pies. Open weekends during the season, and a lovely spot for a picnic.
Take the Great Western Highway from Sydney. Pass through Katoomba and Medlow Bath. Turn right 300m after the Blackheath traffic lights turn right onto Hat Hill Road. We are way down the end, past all the houses and well into the bush. If you reach the National Park Gates, you've gone a little too far!
Blue Mountains Line from Sydney Central to Blackheath Station. The journey takes a little over two hours and passes through some of the most beautiful country in New South Wales. We can sometimes arrange collection from the station, or it is a five-minute taxi ride.
The key is in a lockbox by the front door. We will send you the code the day prior to your arrival. The fire will be laid. The heating will be on in winter. Make yourself at home. You'll find a welcome pack with local information, maps, and a few treats to get you started.