Hartley, New South Wales

Hartley is a historical village in New South Wales, Australia, in the City of Lithgow, located approximately 150 kilometres west of Sydney. It is below the western escarpment of the Blue Mountains. It was once a major administrative centre on the Great Western Highway. It has since fallen into decline, replaced by other towns that are on the railway line. At the 2006 census, Hartley had a population of 497 people.

History
Hartley was formerly a gold rush town and had a busy courthouse that was built in 1837. The courthouse, which operated for over fifty years, dealt with a constant stream of robbers, thieves and convicts. Although Hartley fell into disuse, it survived as a perfectly preserved village that was a superb example of 19th century architecture. Because of its heritage value, it is now preserved as a historic site, administered by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of New South Wales. Situated 120 kilometres west of Sydney and 12 kilometres south of Lithgow, it is open to the public every day. The Hartley Historic Site, an area of 7.7 hectares, is listed on the Register of the National Estate.

Hartley's sister villages, Little Hartley and Hartley Vale, still survive as residential villages with a heritage of their own. Little Hartley, situated 4 kilometres south-east of Hartley, is the site of the historic home Rosedale. Hartley Vale, situated 6 kilometres east of Hartley, is the site of the Comet Inn, Collits Inn and Hartley Vale cemetery. There is also a network of historic walking tracks between Hartley Vale and Mount York, administered by the Lands Department of New South Wales.