Photo Diary and High Tea Lookbook: The Blue Mountain’s Hydro Majestic Hotel

The elegant Hydro Majestic spans over a kilometre, located atop a breathtaking cliff face in one of Australia’s most renowned Heritage listed spots- The Blue Mountains National Park. From its iconic watch post, the historic Hydro Majestic has surveyed the Megalong Valley and its’ surrounding ridges for over a century. The Hydro Majestic was built by retailing financier Mark Foy and opened its doors for the very first time amongst the bitter winter of the Early Nineteen hundreds. Its’ metaphorical positioning on the edge of a precipice speaks volumes about Foy and his character. He had a penchant for living a marvellously grandiose life built on many a high risk venture. Mark Foy’s presence will forever linger on in the spirit of such a landmark. The ornate Hydro Majestic pays fitting homage to his daring creativity and boundless imagination.

The Hydro Majestic will take you back to yesteryear, its amalgamation of classic and modern oriental design a vibrant and effective fusion. There is a Casino lobby with its domed roof, an import from Chicago, the magnificent Salon Due Thé and Cat’s Alley, the sophisticated Majestic Ballroom and the Hydro Majestic Pavilion, a showcase of the Hydro’s historical and eclectic past. Let’s not forget the lavish displays of boutique and regional food and wine from the Blue Mountains and its surrounds. At the very beginning of the Nineteen Hundreds, Mark Foy, dashing retail baron, avid world traveller and dedicated sportsman, sold off his shares in what was the Mark Foy Department Store chain. Using his newfound finances, he funded what was to become Australia’s first health retreat.

Most of the Hydro Majestic’s construction took place in nineteen hundred and three, the same year Mr Foy was successful in his application to change the name of the township to Medlow Bath. You would be surprised to know that the inner workings of the resort hotel were thoroughly modern, including but not limited to a steam driven generator imported from Germany. This expansive machine produced electricity that powered much more than the Hydro Majestic itself, extending to the neighbouring township of Medlow Bath. In fact, the Hydro Majestic had working electricity four days before the city of Sydney did! Imagine that. On top of this, the resort had its own water supply, steam laundry, freezing works, sewerage treatment works and a telephone system that was connected to the Sydney exchange. Very well thought out!

Mark Foy began by hiring Dr George Baur, a former clinician of the Shoeneck Health Space in Lake Lucerne of Switzerland. He was tasked with devising and supervising a program of diets and treatments that were weird, wonderful and throughly wacky simultaneously. This one of a kind Hydropathic Establishment opened officially during a snowstorm on July Fourth.

A group of special guests arrived by train to Penrith, a location forty five odd minutes away from the hotel. They were met by motor cars waiting to drive them to the Hydro. Stunning artworks collected from all over the world were housed carefully in a gallery several hundred feet long. Entertainment took place in the Casino Ballroom which, despite its name, was never used for gambling purposed. Guests took a leisurely stroll through the picture gallery to reach the Grand Dining Room, its half barrel vault ceiling with gilded features a standout. It is admired all the same today.

The Hydro Majestic attracted guests from a myriad of locations across Australia and the world. Famous Australian Opera Singer Dame Nellie Melba made several trips to sing at the hotel, as did English Opera Singer Dame Clara Butt and Nellie Stewart, Australian Actress and Singer. Australia’s first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton, drew his last breath in one of the hotel rooms in Nineteen Twenty. Other incredible guests included Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, Julius Blau of Perfume Fame and the Rajah of Pudukkutai and his Australian Born Wife, lovely Molly Fink. A number of Mark Foy’s well known family friends stayed at the hotel too. Hugh Ward, Dame Nellie Melba’s Australian Manager and his son Charles Melbourne Ward, a naturalist and anthropologist. Freddie Lane, first Australian swimmer to win gold at the Parisian Olympic Games in Nineteen Hundred is another.

Sadly, in Nineteen Twenty Two, a fire raged across the site and destroyed Belgravia and Foy’s beloved Gallery. Taking this loss in stride, Mark Foy commenced work on the New Belgravia, a project that was in the works for fourteen years. Eventually, in Nineteen Forty Two, the Hydro was taken over by the US defence department for very different purposes. It was turned into a hospital and respite centre for American return casualties from the Coral Sea and South Pacific. In Nineteen Forty Six, a new building was opened up with bedrooms on the upper floors and a lavish lounge downstairs, complete with a fireplace. Mark Foy died eventually in Nineteen Fifty. His family, politicians, sportsmen and other such dignitaries attended his funeral. His significant contributions to the Australian lifestyle spanned across many areas of medicine, sport, retail, tourism and the like. He was nothing short of a true pioneer of the Australian Hospitality Industry.

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