Hydro-Majestic Hotel, Medlow Bath

 in Blue Mountains / Della Sotheby / Wally Sotheby by
Poster advertising the hotel from the 1920s (Public domain)

Poster advertising the hotel from the 1920s
(Public domain)

In 1904 leading Sydney retailer Mark Foy established the fabulous Hydro-Majestic Hotel as a health resort built upon reputed natural springs in the Blue Mountains. He even convinced the government to change the locality name from Medlow, to Medlow Bath.

Unfortunately it appears that he was misinformed, because there were in fact no natural springs.* Ever the entrepreneur, he imported water from Germany, which tasted so awful that people assumed it must be therapeutic, and duly drank it under doctor’s orders.

Its location is truly majestic and it quickly became a popular resort for the well-to-do and aspirational. The Hydro-Majestic’s countless famous guests include Dame Nellie Melba, who sang one of her many 1927 farewell concerts in its Casino, and Australia’s first Prime Minister Edmund Barton, who died there in 1920.

In Chapter 23 of A Distant Prospect, Della tells Lucy all about the Sotheby family’s weekend visit to the Hydro-Majestic, when her brother Wally made a bit of a fool of himself:

‘The mountains are beautiful this time of year,’ she proceeded with her narrative while I took off my right calliper. ‘The leaves are the most glorious gold and red and there is nothing more delightful of a morning
than to watch the mist floating over the valley.

‘Anyway, on Saturday we started out early for our long drive. Cook packed a splendid picnic and we arrived at Medlow Bath in time for the tea dance. It turned out that our visit coincided with that of a very lively party. Would you believe they were all friends of Wally from the aerodrome? Most of them were aviators and ex-servicemen with their lady friends and all were quite a bit older than my brother. They were quite charming though. Anyway, I danced two foxtrots with Wally and a waltz with Daddy. Then, before I retired, I watched Mummy and Daddy dance the tango, which was a delight since they are both very good dancers. Wally was supposed to go to bed too, but I didn’t see him until very late that night when the manager brought him up. Luighseach, he was frightfully drunk — drunk would you believe, and making a terrible racket. …’

Late in our story, Della writes to Lucy from forced convalescence:

It is beautiful here. Not quite the Hydro Majestic but it has a very pleasant aspect and tranquil atmosphere. I spend much time on the verandah taking the air.

At the time of this writing (2014), the Hotel is undergoing total refurbishment, expected to be complete in 2017.

* Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca” was similarly misinformed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAlENsvnWhk