Morgue, pub and mine for lease as village ponders return to golden days

Pub, morgue and mine up for lease in historic gold-mining village Hill End Fri 10 Jul 2026 at 6:29am In short: Sixteen buildings are up for lease in the tiny gold rush community of Hill End on the NSW Central Tablelands. The state's National Parks and Wildlife Service has spent more than $5 million getting the heritage sites up to scratch. What's next? Expressions of interest applications close on Friday afternoon. It was once the second-largest inland city in New South Wales, but today Hill End boasts a population of just 110. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has spent $5 million on renovations in a bid to revitalise the old gold-mining village near Bathurst on the state's Central Tablelands. Now, an old hospital, morgue, pub and gold mine are among 16 properties up for lease in what is being described as a "rare" opportunity. "We've been renovating buildings, we've been offering them as short-stay accommodation, but this isn't our core business," said Blue Mountains branch director David Crust. "We recognise there are people that've got much better expertise in providing those opportunities than National Parks." Mr Crust said the agency was looking for ideas that would benefit the community. "It was the second biggest inland town in New South Wales in the 1870s," he said. "There were 28 pubs in operation and over 8,000 people. It's got this incredible historic heritage. Before: Sacred Heart Church at Hill End in the 1870s. (Supplied: State Library of New South Wales). . After: Today, the space is available for EOI while it undergoes renovations. (ABC News: Lani Oataway). . Instructions: Use left and right arrow keys to control image transition "But it's also a living village. There's still a small resident population. We want to enhance that, we want to make it a really thriving community, and we want to bring people in here for fantastic visitor experiences." Perhaps the most difficult site to make financially viable is the village's centrepiece building: The Royal Hotel. The Royal is undergoing renovations, including salt and damp remediation, drainage improvements, flooring upgrades and painting. (ABC News: Lani Oataway) NPWS has so far spent about $1.5 million renovating the pub since it shut unexpectedly last year. The hotel includes a bar, beer garden, kitchen and a second storey with 20-bed accommodation. "What we're really hoping happens here is we start to build increased visitation, we start to extend the period of time people spend and stay in Hill End," Mr Crust said. The General Store has previously been used as a cafe and is one of the buildings up for lease. (ABC News: Lani Oataway) "We think that's going to make opportunities like this [The Royal] more viable." Micro pub in old haberdashery shop leads the way When The Royal closed its doors last September, Cara George opened the Hill End Micro Pub. "We couldn't be the town with no beer,"she said. Cara George opened the Hill End Micro Pub in November. (ABC News: Lani Oataway) "My family are generational Hill Endians … a community needs its pub, it needs its meeting place." Ms George and her husband have their eyes on The Royal up the road, and will submit an application to run the site as well. "This is more than a commercial venture for us; this is about the longevity of a living heritage village," she said. Cara George says if she is successful in applying to run The Royal Hotel, she will turn the Micro Pub into a whisky and tapas bar. (ABC News: Lani Oataway) "It's very important to us that there is legacy for our children and other families to live and be here into the future." Authenticity crucial to success Gold panning tour guide Jhob Drinkwater said the village was ready for growth. "We've just had, unfortunately, a few old legends pass away quite quickly, and the place, I think, is just starving for some new blood," he said. Jhob Drinkwater says gold panning attracts people to Hill End. (ABC News: Lani Oataway) "To help keep the place going, it needs jobs, and it needs people." Mr Drinkwater, who runs tours for school children and families, said he often heard from parents about similar excursions they had when they were young. "It's a full circle thing," he said. "And it's only happening because of the authenticity of Hill End." Visitors can walk through an 80-metre tunnel at the Bald Hill Mine and climb out of via the original 1870s shaft. (ABC News: Lani Oataway) Expressions of interest close on Friday afternoon. Decisions on the lease agreements are expected to be made in March.