Blue Mountains Originals | Advertising feature
Mountaintop mansion The California was described in the 1930s as ‘the largest and most palatial guesthouse in the Southern Hemisphere’. Today it is the Hotel Mountain Heritage. It’s seen huge changes in society and Katoomba since those days, but it’s never lost the glory of that bygone era.
Nor has its spectacular location changed. Just a short stroll from the café, transport and retail hub of Katoomba, it boasts views of sandstone escarpments from Mt Gibraltar at Bowral, the tree-filled Jamison Valley, and what have now become significant historic townscapes of Leura and Katoomba.
This local icon was substantially derelict when the Crockett family bought it in 1979, but it has been rejuvenated and its legacy protected through their continual investment and tender loving care.
“We’re proud that this unique property lets visitors from Australia and around the globe enjoy a truly authentic Blue Mountains experience,” owner Garry Crockett said.
By blending the wonders of the old with the comforts of the new, Hotel Mountain Heritage has been the perfect place for wonderful weddings, memorable meetings, fantastic functions and delightful dining, not to mention accommodation experiences that have a special place in the lives of so many.
It’s not just guests who rave. The property has won numerous tourism awards and received an official 4.5-star hotel rating. Along with Lilianfels and Echoes, it is the only independently accredited star rated hotel in the mountains.
Commitment to the Blue Mountains has seen the Crockett family grow its business activities across the region. A jewel among its many restorations of historic properties is the beautiful Yester Grange Estate in Wentworth Falls.
Garry Crockett’s personal passion for history is seen not just in these labours of love, but also through the historic photos and Napoleonic-era bird paintings that adorn the walls at Mountain Heritage. “I want our guests to get a real sense of history when they stay. This collection is a link to our past that shouldn’t be lost”.
In 2006 at the request of historian Jim Smith, Mr Crockett secured an historic collection of the earliest known drawings of Blue Mountains Aborigines. Drawn by Pellion of the French Freycinet expedition which crossed the Mountains in 1819 at the invitation of Governor Macquarie, none of these works had been kept in Australia nor publicly displayed until featured at the opening of the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre.
It’s this appreciation of the past and vision for the future that’s kept them at the heart of the community for 40 years and they look forward to celebrating many more to come.
