News
14 November, 2026
Date set: Hillview to be ready for King’s 80th birthday
There’s one question that many Southern Highlanders are asking. Will King Charles III and Queen Camilla ever visit Hillview in Sutton Forest?
There’s one question that many Southern Highlanders are asking.
Will King Charles III and Queen Camilla ever visit Hillview in Sutton Forest?
The answer is almost definitely ‘yes’ according to Chair of The Kings Foundation Australia, Dominic Richards OAM.
The Kings Foundation Australia opened Hillview’s doors to local Meals on Wheels recipients on Saturday for a joint celebration, throwing on a special morning tea to mark King Charles III’s 78th birthday and the 30th anniversary of Meals on Wheels Southern Highlands.
Hillview is a State Heritage Register-listed property that served as the Vice-Regal summer residence for 16 NSW Governors between 1892 and 1957.
The keys to the historic residence were officially handed over to The Kings Foundation Australia at a ceremony in April 2025 at NSW Government House.
The plan is to restore Hillview and to transform it into a nationally significant education and training hub based on Dumfries House in Scotland.
Some courses have already commenced at the site, including a two-day traditional timber framing workshop, while a 12-day summer school will be held in February covering a range of traditional crafts.
Mr Richards said works were about to commence at the historic site in earnest.
“We have just under two years until His Majesty’s 80th birthday and we’ve set ourselves a target of having this Vice Regal residence ready by then.
“So, the clock is ticking.”
Mr Richards does not underestimate the task ahead but told The Southern Wire he was “genuinely excited” by the support from the local community.
“I don’t underestimate the amount of work (ahead), but I genuinely believe there’s a head of steam behind us through local support.”
Mr Richards said ‘preparatory’ works would commence almost immediately, with the main restoration to commence next year – probably in June.
“It’s not falling down – which is great – but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a thorough restoration and improvement of all the services the property will need so that it can function the way that we want it to in the future,” he said.
Mr Richards said King Charles III was extremely engaged with the project.
“In terms of the planning and everything, what we hear about His Majesty’s passion and engagement is absolutely true.
“I do not know how he finds the time for it, but he is very committed to this work,” Mr Richards said.
“Most recently, he has been presented with garden images, and of course he’s a keen gardener and had lots to say and contribute on that subject.
“I took a huge range of old photographs and plans and colour schemes and furniture options to His Majesty at Buckingham Palace.
“The level to which he gets engaged goes right down to the colour of the exterior.
“He’s got a very good eye.”
Mr Richards said it would be “very difficult” to keep King Charles away once the restoration work has been completed.
“Of course, it’s a matter for the Australian Government to choose when they want their Monarch to come to Australia, but I know that His Majesty would be very keen on getting here as soon as he possibly can and we’re making sure it’s ready for his 80th birthday.”
Mr Richards said the King and Queen were often in residence at Dumfries where they hosted “all sorts of charitable events and conferences”.
“It will be no different here.
“Hillview will be a place which is used by the local community and Australia in general, and when Their Majesties are in Australia, they will be here.”
CEO of The King’s Foundation Australia, Constantine Innemee, said more than 15,000 students a year completed programs through The King's Foundation in the UK.
“That’s anything from students learning about where their food comes from through to keeping traditional skills and crafts alive like timber framing and stone walling all the way through to PhD programs teaching the next generation of urban planners and architects.
“And I think the thread that binds all that together is that we are all a part of nature and we need to consider that when we are looking to the future.”
Mr Innemee said it was “really exciting” to bring the Dumfries educational model to Australia, training the next generation of craftspeople and practitioners “to really come up with sustainable methods of making, building and creating”.
“I think Hillview is going to have an incredible impact – not just locally, but also nationally, bringing students to this part of the world, learning incredible things and then going back into the field and putting that into practice.
“I’m really excited to see how we’re going to be connecting with the local community in the near future, how we can help the local community, seeing people enjoy this place, and then further down the line seeing how we have a really positive impact nationally across Australia.”
Visitors to Hillview on Saturday enjoyed live jazz music and a performance by the Oxley College Pipe Band as well as a number of demonstrations by stone wallers, stone masons and woodturners.
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