‘Unique amongst all the villages…’

“Mount Victoria is unique amongst all of the villages in the City of Blue Mountains. It provides a great deal of evidence of the growth and development of the Blue Mountains with the advent of the railway line during the second half of the nineteenth century and the subsequent consolidation of road transport during the twentieth century. It was a most important railway terminus for many years and a major tourist destination until the era after World War I. These aspects of its past are evident in built items such as the railway station and the large resort hotels that are still visual l landmarks in the town. Its school is historically significant, being the first public school established in the Blue Mountains, and the early date of its post office underlines the importance of the village in the economy of the Blue Mountains at the end of the nineteenth century. The village has great aesthetic significance because of the inter-relationship of its built fabric, placed in a setting characterised by open spaces and extensive stands of mature trees. This distinctive townscape is unlike any other in the Blue Mountains. The vistas presented on Station Street between the Great Western Highway and Montgomery Street are amongst the finest townscapes in the City of Blue Mountains. The approaches to the village are of particular heritage significance because they include very rare examples of the main phases of transport infrastructure associated with the settlement of New South Wales, including one of only two original toll-houses, a representative example of a 19th century railway gate-keepers cottage, the current railway line and facilities for contemporary travellers including vehicle servicing and accommodation in a pattern consistent with the historic development of the area.”

Taken from the draft plan of management for Mount Victoria Park. p14