Mount Victoria, New South Wales facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount VictoriaNew South Wales |
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Aerial view
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 Mount Victoria
Location in New South Wales
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| Population | 945 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| Established | 1866 | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 2786 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 1,043 m (3,422 ft) | ||||||||||||||
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| LGA(s) | City of Blue Mountains | ||||||||||||||
| County | Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Parish | Hartley | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Blue Mountains | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Macquarie | ||||||||||||||
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Mount Victoria (postcode: 2786) is a small village located in the beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. It is the westernmost village in the Greater Sydney area, found along the Great Western Highway.
Mount Victoria is about 120 kilometers west-northwest of the Sydney city center. It sits high up, at an altitude of about 1052 meters. In 2021, a census showed that 945 people lived in Mount Victoria.
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Discovering Mount Victoria's Past
Mount Victoria is built on a high, flat area that extends from Mount York. This spot was important because it was a camp for the first explorers, Blaxland, Wentworth, and Lawson, when they crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813.
An early map from 1834 called this area One Tree Hill. So, when the town was first started in 1866, it was known by that name.
How Mount Victoria Got Its Name
After a road was built across the Blue Mountains, a special gate called a "toll bar" opened in 1849. It was about 1 kilometer east of where the town is now. People sometimes called the area Broughton's Waterhole Toll Bar. Coaches had to pay a fee to pass, depending on how good their suspension was!
When the railway station opened in 1868, marking the end of the Main Western railway line, the town started to be called Mount Victoria. The name became official after the first Post Office was built in 1876.
By the late 1800s, Mount Victoria was a busy and successful place. Many private schools were started here, like The School, Mount Victoria. Wealthy families from Sydney would come to Mount Victoria as a "hill station" – a cool, high place to escape the summer heat.
Historic Places in Mount Victoria
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Mount Victoria has many places that are important to history. These are called "heritage-listed" sites. Here are some of them:
- Blue Mountains National Park: This park has many old walking tracks.
- Mount Victoria railway station: This historic train station is part of the Main Western railway line.
- Cox's Road and Early Deviations - Mount York, Cox's Pass Precinct: This area includes parts of the very first road built across the Blue Mountains.
Other important historical sites include:
- Mount Victoria Manor: Built in 1876, this grand house was once home to the Fairfax family before becoming a hotel.
- Imperial Hotel: This hotel was built in 1878. It's special because it's the only hotel in the Blue Mountains that has always used the same name. It closed in 2016 for renovations.
- St Peter's Anglican Church: Designed by David Macbeath and built in 1874-1875, this is the oldest Christian Church in the Blue Mountains.
- Toll House: Built in 1849, this is one of only two toll houses left in New South Wales. It's also one of the oldest buildings in the Blue Mountains.
- Mount Victoria Post Office: This building was constructed in 1896-1897 in a style called "Federation."
- Gatekeeper's Cottage: Built in 1868, this is one of only six gatekeeper's cottages still standing in the Blue Mountains.
- Mount Victoria Public School: Finished in 1877, it might be the oldest public school in the Blue Mountains. Today, it's used as a child care center.
Asgard Swamp Coal Mine History
North-east of Mount Victoria is the Asgard Swamp area, which is now part of the Blue Mountains National Park. This area was once home to a coal mine in the 1800s, but it wasn't very successful.
Around 1881, Walter Mackenzie and Thomas Garret dug six tunnels into the coal. They even built a coke oven and planned a tramline from Mount Victoria, but we don't know if the tramline was ever built. The mine changed owners a few times, but no more work was done after 1908. You can still find the remains of huts where the miners lived around the swamp.
Mount Victoria Cemetery History
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The Mount Victoria Cemetery is located about one and a half kilometers south-east of the town. It was started in 1881.
One famous person buried there is John Berghofer. He built Berghofer's Pass at Mount York. This pass is no longer used for cars but is now part of the walking tracks at Mount York, which is also a heritage-listed area. Other families, like the Lanfranchi family who owned the historic house Marthaville, are also buried here.
Mount Victoria Today
Today, Mount Victoria is a quiet town with many old, historic buildings. There are a few interesting places to visit, like the Post Office, a Hall that is used as a cinema, the Imperial Hotel, the Toll Keepers Cottage, and a museum at the railway station.
The town is a great starting point for many bushwalks. You can also find several lookouts that offer amazing views over the Kanimbla Valley, including the lookout from Mount Piddington.
The railway station in Mount Victoria is the last stop for the Blue Mountains Line, just like Lithgow. The town is located where the Great Western Highway meets the Darling Causeway, which leads to Bell. There are plans to upgrade the Great Western Highway to help traffic avoid the town and the steep Victoria Pass.
Getting Around Mount Victoria
Blue Mountains Transit operates one bus route that goes through Mount Victoria:
- 698V: This bus travels from Katoomba to Mount Victoria.
Population Facts
In the 2021 Census, Mount Victoria had a population of 945 people. Most people (75.8%) were born in Australia, and 88.8% spoke only English at home. The most common answer for religion was "No Religion" at 56.3%.
