Something feels different about Lapstone but it can be hard to put a finger on what separates it from other Blue Mountains towns. / (min cost $ 0 ) or signup to continue reading Some people will notice the brick guttering that runs throughout the town. Others may realise it is the absence of overhead power lines that make the streets feel so open.
These distinct features are part of the history of Lapstone and with the town celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024, local residents are looking back on the story of their home. Lapstone resident Thelma Stephens is 91-years-old but still remembers buying a block of land in Lapstone with her husband in the late 1950s. She still lives there today.
"You could walk down through the bush to get down here...
We just liked the view, [and] we both said 'yes, we'll have that block'," she said. The man Mrs Stephens bought her land from, Arthur Hand, is considered by many to be "the father of Lapstone". His decisions shaped iconic features of the town that still remain today.
In 1954 Mr Hand, a Blackheath resident in his 60s, decided to forgo a comfy retirement and instead bought 116 acres of vacant land which would later become Lapstone. Travelling from Blackheath each day in his Twin Spinner, Mr Hand subdivided the land and eventually began selling blocks to those who saw the beauty in the area. Mrs Stephens was one of those buyers.
She remembers Mr Hand as "a perfect gentleman". When she moved into her home in 1964, Mr Hand was putting t.
