MARK’S TOMB: MEDLOW BATH,
BLUE MOUNTAINS NSW AUSTRALIA
The story of Mark’s
Tomb is a fascinating one. So that there is no misunderstanding, this is
not a real tomb, but would have been if Mark
Foy had had his way.
Mark Foy (1865-1950) was a successful Sydney businessman.
Along with his brother Francis, the department store was commenced in 1885 in
Liverpool St, in what was then the heart of the Sydney retail district.
Fashionable clothing one was one of the store’s specialties. The business (named
for their father, Mark Foy Senior) thrived but eventually went the way of
similar retailers in that part of the city, closing its doors in 1980. The
building survives as the Downing Centre,
a group of courthouses.
Apart from the business, the name of Mark Foy will forever
be associated with two of his major interests – sailing and the Hydro-Majestic Hotel at Medlow Bath. It is with the second of
these that we are, of course, now concerned.
To understand the story of the famous Medlow Bath landmark,
I suggest that you download a copy of a guide to the Hydro-Majestic Hotel, from
around 1910. Go to Trove here,
select “Books”, tick “Available Online” and type in the key
words: Hydro Majestic Medlow Bath.
Press Enter, and a short list will come up. Select the second of these, which
you can now download as a PDF file. It will only take a few minutes at most.
You will be amazed at the opulence of the place.
The Hydro was undoubtedly a pet project of Mark’s. The
“hydro” in the name refers to the idea of
water treatments in alleviating –
even curing – a wide range of ailments. The “Bath” in Medlow Bath takes us back
to the same idea in Europe, notably “taking the cure” in places like the hot
springs in Bath, England, and the many spas across Europe. It is still widely
practiced today, the hot springs of New Zealand are extensively used for the
same purpose and Sue and I appreciate the hydrotherapy pool here in Lithgow
where we live.
I can’t say that the idea was as successful as Mark Foy
would have liked, but the hotel certainly grew in fame as one of the places to
be seen at in the Blue Mountains, at the top of the list with the Carrington in
Katoomba, in fact. Foy lived to see his dream hotel managed by others who
probably didn’t share his vision for the place, and to see it taken over as a military
hospital for American servicemen in World War 11. Since then it has had many
ups and downs and at the moment (May 2014) there is major construction and
refurbishment going on there. Hydrotherapy will again be available at the
Hydro. One thing will never change, though, and that is the superb views of the
cliffs and valleys from the rear hotel balconies and lawns. Visit this site here
for information on the hotel today and into the future.
Foy was so taken with the area that he wanted to be buried
there, selecting the eroded sandstone cave we know as “Mark’s Tomb” as his final resting place. I don’t know what his
family thought about the idea, if they even knew about it before his will was
read. As things turned out, the courts overturned the instruction to build the
tomb there and now all that remains is the sign pointing down the hill from the
Wonderland Track reading “Mark’s Tomb”, and even this looks like it won’t last
much longer.
You can read the newspaper articles from the Sydney Morning Herald (Mark Foy Left £68,981) and (Elaborate Mark Foy Tomb Need Not Be Built),
both from 1951.
To find Mark’s Tomb, go to the end of Belgravia St, follow
the “TRACK” sign on the tree and take the first track to the right. About 15
minutes along this (the Wonderland Track)
you will see a track branching off down the hill to the left. This is where the
“Mark’s Tomb” sign is nailed to a tree on the left side of the track. My video
about the Wonderland Track and Mark’s Tomb may be found here.
https://johnsbluemountainsblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/links-to-all-blog-entries-and-relevant.html All Blue Mountains blogs and videos
All New England and other Geology blogs and videos
Limestone Caves of NSW
Song Studies. Bible studies based on hymns and songs
Shoalhaven District Geology
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