Inaccessible to Europeans until the 1860s, the forested area later called Mount Wilson was known to Aboriginal people for generations. The building of the Zigzag railway to Lithgow made Mount Wilson suddenly less remote and land sales coincided with the opening of the railway station. The fertile soil and cool climate attracted gardeners and bushwalkers, and it became a summer retreat for the wealthy, with caretakers living there the rest of the year.
