Yes. The Carrington Hotel’s public spaces—including The Lounge, the cocktail bar, and the verandah—are open daily to day-trippers and visitors from 11:00 am.
Casual visitors and Cellars patrons can access free on-site parking via the Parke Street entrance, while overnight guest parking is accessed via Katoomba Street. Hotel guests have access to three tethered Type 2 destination chargers (single phase 32A / 7kW max) located within the secure car park.
Due to the building’s 140-year-old heritage architecture, interior corridors and elevator dimensions are narrow, and double or wide tandem prams may need to be folded down for access. An accessible ramp is located adjacent to the undercover carpark, an accessible public toilet with baby change facilities is available on the ground floor, and designated disability parking bays are provided on-site.
Pets are not permitted inside the hotel. Leashed dogs are welcome on the outdoor Piazza lawn areas, and accredited assistance animals with valid certification are allowed across all customer service areas.
The hotel is approximately 200 metres from Katoomba Railway Station, making it an easy 3-to-5-minute walk. Trains on the Blue Mountains Line run directly between Sydney Central and Katoomba, and a local taxi rank is situated right outside the station.
Yes. Located upstairs past Champagne Charlie’s is Salon Muse, an intimate boutique hair salon offering personalised styling, bespoke colour, and precision cutting appointments from Tuesday to Saturday.
The precinct features several distinct venues: refined fine dining in the historic Grand Dining Room (open Tuesday to Saturday evenings), Katoomba’s oldest cocktail lounge at Champagne Charlie’s Cocktail Bar (serving drinks and an all-day menu 7 days a week), casual pub fare and a beer garden at the two-storey Old City Bank Bar & Brasserie, and artisanal wines and providore goods at Carrington Cellars & Deli.
Housed in the hotel’s repurposed 1913 power station, Katoomba Brewing Co. is our on-site microbrewery. Our range of locally brewed craft beers is poured on tap at Champagne Charlie’s and the Old City Bank, with canned 4-packs available to purchase directly from Carrington Cellars & Deli.
Dinner reservations are recommended for both the Grand Dining Room and the Old City Bank Brasserie. Our kitchens cater to a wide range of dietary needs, offering vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free alternatives; please notify our team of any requirements when booking or ordering.
Operating inside the cavernous Katoomba Power Station under the landmark chimney, Carrington Cellars & Deli functions as a boutique providore. In addition to gourmet local and imported cheeses, charcuterie, and pantry items, it showcases an extensive collection of cool-climate wines from regional New South Wales alongside craft spirits and beers.
Yes. Digital and physical gift certificates can be purchased and tailored for accommodation, dining experiences, or retail goods at Carrington Cellars & Deli. All certificates are valid for three years from the date of issue.
The Old City Bank features free live music every Friday and Saturday evening. Additionally, The Baroque Room—our dedicated 18+ ornate performance space—regularly hosts touring musical artists, cabaret, comedy, burlesque, and theatrical productions.
The Carrington hosts a regular calendar of seasonal traditions and celebrations, including traditional winter Yulefest dining throughout July and August, the annual Winter Solstice Ball, the regional Wines of the West wine festival, an annual Art Deco Ball, and a community Oktoberfest celebration.
Yes. The precinct offers a collection of versatile spaces—including the Grand Dining Room, the Ballroom, The Baroque Room, The Library, and private boardroom suites—catering to weddings, corporate retreats, conferences, and milestone celebrations with comprehensive event coordination and catering.
To ensure in-house guest comfort, functions with amplified music, entertainment, or speeches continuing past 10:30 pm are required to book out the specific guest rooms located directly above the function room (such as the rooms over the Grand Dining Room or Ballroom). All event noise and entertainment across the hotel must conclude by 12:00 midnight.
The hotel was designed by architect John Kirkpatrick and opened on 15 August 1883 as the Great Western Hotel. In late November 1885, incoming proprietor Frederick Charles Goyder renamed the property The Carrington Hotel in honour of Lord Charles Robert Carrington, the newly appointed Governor of New South Wales.
Built in 1913 by flamboyant owner Sir James Joynton Smith, the landmark industrial chimney belonged to the Carrington’s private coal-fired power station. It was erected because Katoomba lacked a municipal power grid, and it supplied electricity not only to the hotel but to townships from Mount Victoria down to Wentworth Falls until 1925.
In the late 19th century, hotelier Frederick Goyder helped introduce modern infrastructure to Katoomba, including town water, sewerage, and the first local telephone exchange. Because the exchange was housed at the hotel, The Carrington was assigned the town’s inaugural number, “Katoomba 1″—a piece of history retained in our current phone number: (02) 4782 1111.
The property is an architectural hybrid. It was originally built in a grand Victorian Italianate style in the 1880s, before Sir James Joynton Smith commissioned extensive upgrades in 1912–13, introducing the famous Art Nouveau stained-glass façade, tiled columns, and verandah balustrades, followed later by Art Deco interior accents.
Over the decades, the Carrington was known as the premier honeymoon haven and salon resort of the Southern Hemisphere. Guests have included members of the British Royal Family—such as the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and the Queen Mother) in 1927—as well as Australian Prime Ministers, international dignitaries, stage actors, and the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti.
The bronze statue in the main foyer is Der Nachtwächter (“The Night Watchman”), also affectionately known as the “Grumpy Man.” Sculpted in Munich by Bavarian artist Franz Bernauer, this figure has watched over hotel guests since around 1913, likely installed when electric lighting was first brought to the hotel.
The hotel grounds were landscaped by Paul Sorensen, the celebrated Danish-born landscape architect who served as head gardener at The Carrington under Sir James Joynton Smith in the early 20th century. Mature Monterey and Bunya pines planted during this era still frame the grounds today.
Liquor Licence No. LIQH400118821.
The Carrington practices responsible service of alcohol. Alcohol is not sold or supplied to anyone under 18 years of age – it is against the law.