Hartley Region

Beautiful Hartley Region

When the Victoria Pass road was completed in 1832, the doorway to the west was open and settlement in Hartley, at the base of the hill, began in earnest. The next 50 years saw Hartley grow into a bustling township surrounded by churches, a post office, stage couch facilities, and inns. Unfortunately, Hartley was by-passed by the railway and, over a period, fell into disuse. Luckily, today we are left with a remarkable remnant of a town largely unchanged since the mid-nineteenth century.

After the decline in Hartley as a township from the late 1800’s, in latter years we are seeing the redevelopment of the areas of Hartley, Hartley Vale and Little Hartley. Now with sub-divisions through the areas there are many new residents. Some of the historic buildings have been turned into elegant accommodation and restaurant facilities and there are other new hide-away rural retreats. Old stores have become new stores and more new stores have been built - offering a range of services from rural supplies and local produce to cafes restaurants and take-aways, real estate agent, nursery as well as some art and craft galleries.

The Hartley region is an extensive and beautiful scenic area taking in a number of villages and settlements offering the visitor a plethora of exploring and experiential opportunities and facilities. The five minute drive down the hill from Mt Victoria is well worth the small effort. Little Hartley is only 5 minutes down Victoria Pass from Mt Victoria on the Great Western Highway and lies in a most beautiful and expansive valley.

Historic Hartley Village - Things to do

* Visit Talisman Gallery and metal artist’s workshop. If he’s not watching the amazing view from his workshop you may catch him at the forge and don’t forget to say g’day to him, the name is Ron. * There is also a Kew-Y-Ahn (Aboriginal for tor or rocks) walk. From the top there’s a bird’s eye view over the whole village and surrounding countryside. Access is gained beside the restrooms behind The Old Post Office Cafe. * Enjoy a coffee or lunch at the Old Post Office Cafe. The food is simple and tasty. * Enjoy a self-guided audio tour of the old Courthouse with it’s many fascinating stories. * Visit the Aboriginal art gallery at the visitor centre. * Wander around the many beautiful old sandstone buildings that comprise this early village.

The Farmhouse Café and Lolly Store With hundreds of varieties of confectionery to choose from there is something for everyone at The Lolly Bug. Old fashioned English sweets, Scottish delights, boiled lollies, choc coated temptations, giant lolly pops and Australian favourites such as rosy apples and musk sticks. Our gourmet goodies include local honeys and jams. Browse our gift section including hand painted wine glasses and coffee mugs, hand made children’s clothing and a wide selection of Vera May handbags or take time out for a coffee and a delicious treat from the selection in the adjoining coffee shop. www.facebook.com/thelollybug www.thelollybug.com.au 2297 Great Western Hwy Little Hartley. Ph: 02 6355 2162

Gourmet Goods More Than Just Lollies at The Lolly Bug.

From just a few jams and honeys to begin with our gourmet food range has grown to include a diverse range of local, Australian and overseas products.

Owner of The Lolly Bug at Little Hartley, Sharon Tofler says given the popularity of the jams and honeys it made sense to introduce more food items to the range. “We particularly like to showcase small, independent producers from the wider local area but we have some great, quality products from larger, well-known companies as well,” Mrs Tofler says. “A good coffee is still a priority for us here in the café and we are pleased to offer locally roasted coffee from Fish River Roasters at nearby Tarana. Winner of numerous awards they have become very well known for their quality product. Many travellers heading East and West make The Farmhouse their regular stop just for the coffee, although few leave without a sweet treat.” “It can be hard to resist the temptation with over 1500 confectionery items to choose from.” Greentrees Gourmet Preserves located in Orange and Brinkley Preserves from Molong provide us with a wonderful range of jams, jellies and relishes made, whenever possible, from local ingredients - traditional strawberry, blackberry and blueberry jams are delicious, while the more exotic relishes are a real taste treat.

Sharon continues, “Mudgee resident Linda makes a sensational chilli relish. In 3 varieties – sweet, sinfully hot and our favourite - sweet with lime and ginger, we are really proud to offer such a quality, award winning product. The Mudgee Honey Haven is one of the west’s premier tourist destinations – we have their traditional honey in 500g and 1kg jars, and many of their gourmet honeys, as well.”

Mrs Tofler suggests you try mixed nuts and honey mixed with vanilla ice cream for a decadent dessert, Chilli honey in a stir fry or drizzled over carrots for a little extra zing or cinnamon honey on your morning toast.

“Pukara oils and vinegars add a whole new dimension to your cooking experience. We use the Chilli, Pepper, Lemon, Lime and Garlic Oils at home in salads and cooking and we are totally addicted to the caramelised vinegar. So, too, are many of our customers - one commenting that she would be happy to buy it in 5 litre bottles. Recently we have added a range of hot sauces to our shelves - Blairs After Death, Sudden Death, Mega Death and the extremely hot Ultra Death are not for the faint-hearted.”

Carrying the warning ‘this product contains the hottest known ingredients on the planet earth – 900 times hotter than a jalapeno chile’, you can be sure they will challenge even the most ardent hot sauce fan!

“Our colourful and exciting range of over 1500 lines of confectionery is now complemented by these many gourmet foods. We, also, carry Lemon and Lime Curd, Bosco Dessert Syrup, Pukara Jams, Murrungundy Pistachios and Goober,” added Ms Toffler.

The Lolly Bug is just west of the Blue Mountains on the Great Western Highway at Little Hartley. It caters for customers stopping by and also those else where in Australia by email, phone or its online retail shop at www.thelollybug. com.au We, also, carry quite an extensive range of gifts including unusual mugs, hand-painted wine glasses, funny signs and novelty items and gourmet goods – mega hot sauces, chilli, honey, jams, oils and vinegars. info@ thelollybug.com.au

COLLIER’S Crystals & Gifts

Gifts of Natural Beauty

Extensive collection of crystals and mineral specimens and crystal jewellery, soaps, incense and biodynamic products.

Shop 8, 23 - 25 Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath

Ph: 02 4787 7403 www.collierscrystals.com.au Em: crystals@collierscrystals.com.au

Open Mon - Fri 9am - 5.30pm, Sat 9am - 4pm, Sun 10am - 4pm

A Hidden Gem

Colliers Crystals & Gifts, a long established family business is still operating in Blackheath, by the third generation. Specializing in crystals and mineral specimens from around the globe. Quality is of paramount importance in our selection of these crystals and minerals.

We also have an extensive range of quality jewellery set in sterling silver, including jewellery with tektites and meteorites. A limited range of fossils are also stocked. Himalayan salt crystal lamps, soaps and other products are always available. Giftware, books CD’s and an extensive range of soy and other candles, and biodynamic soaps. New to this range is Bellesoap natural hand cleanser and lime, rosewood and May Chang pure essential oils. Belle body care palm oil free soaps and cosmetics are handmade in Melbourne using all natural ingredients and pure essential oils.

At Colliers Crystals & Gifts we pride ourselves on customer service. We were delighted to be awarded the Gold Award for Excellence in Customer Service 2013, by Australian Business Quality Awards. We are located in shop 8, 23-25 Govetts Leap Road, Blackheath.

(above) Male and female Satin Bower birds, photo by Denys Joannes

Blackheath family shoe store

Offering a range of specialised shoes to help problem feet feel comfortable

Stocking: - Semler - Ecco - Arche - Florsheim - Merrell - Waldlaufer - Peter Kaiser - Pikolinos - Josef Seibel - Rieker - Arcopedico - Gabriele - NAOT