The renaissance of Mount Lofty House
As the 173-year-old Mount Lofty House celebrates four decades as an internationally lauded hotel and restaurant, its current custodian David Horbelt reflects on the stewardship, survival and evolution of one of the state’s most storied properties.
On February 16, 1983, Victoria and South Australia were ravaged by the country’s worst bushfires in recorded history.
“I can remember as a schoolboy, looking up and seeing the Adelaide Hills on fire,” recalls hotelier David Horbelt as he reflects on Ash Wednesday.
Among the 300 buildings claimed by the fires in SA was Mount Lofty House – the grand gentleman’s residence and gardens built by Arthur Hardy in 1852, on the highest point overlooking the Adelaide plains.
The property’s then-occupants had owned the historic manor for only a few weeks before the fires came. The couple left the property to pick up their children from school, only to return to a roadblock and flames leaping across Summit Road.
“It was heartbreaking for them. What happened in ’83 was just so devastating for the entire region,” David reflects.
In the aftermath, local architect Ross Sands purchased the fire-razed property and spent three years and great funds to restore the manor to its former glory. Ross and his wife Janet opened Mount Lofty House to guests for the first time in February 1986 – three years after Ash Wednesday.
During its first year of operation, Mount Lofty House won the 1986 National Tourism Award as the state’s top tourist resort. This success inspired Ross and Janet to expand Mount Lofty House from eight rooms to 31, with the addition of the Piccadilly Wing in 1988.
Ross achieved a major coup by having Mount Lofty House accredited as a Country House by an esteemed Chateaux group, achieving a badge of prestige that put the hotel on the map for international visitors.
David purchased Mount Lofty House in 2009. “I’m very grateful to Ross Sands for what was a massive undertaking to take the ruins and create a beautiful, boutique chateau-style hotel, pursuing a dream destination for local, interstate and international people,” David says.
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“By the time we came along, it had changed ownership and had lost its edge through corporatisation. I had a vision of where we wanted to go with Mount Lofty and that drew me in. It has been the most amazing passion project.”
Captivated by the grandeur of the manor and its leafy grounds, which include giant 175-year-old sequoia trees that survived the fires, David and his team were driven to reinstate the property to a high level of luxury.
First, much attention was given to the gardens, while the hotel was also refurbished from its tired state. “A building like this can lose its shine very quickly if not looked after. There also seemed to be a lack of connect with the history of the property,” David says.
“We first needed to bring it back to the level of sophistication that it had previously been known for and continue to up the ante.”
A new floor plan saw the relocation of the hotel reception desk from the lower Piccadilly Wing into the manor’s former drawing room, bringing guests back to the manor’s original front door as the hotel’s first point of entry.
“As soon as you walk up the steps into the manor house, it oozes luxury and history,” David says.
The most important decision was to build Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant into a world-class fine dining destination. To achieve this, four guest rooms were sacrificed, five walls were demolished and 15 openings were created to shape new dining spaces.
The adjacent Arthur Waterhouse Lounge Bar was extended into a sophisticated cocktail bar and the cellar was expanded into an incredible temperature-controlled home to 1300 of the best wines from Australia and the world.
“The most pivotal moment was deciding to create a statement restaurant up there with the best in the country. This high-end dining experience dictated that our suites needed to match the level of sophistication – true luxury, five-star, throughout,” David says.
In late 2025, Hardy’s Verandah welcomed the return of chef Alessandro Mangione, who had worked under previous head chef Jin Choi. It was under Jin’s leadership that the restaurant was first awarded Three Chef Hats by the Australian Good Food Guide, a status that has been maintained in subsequent years.
After the restaurant was launched in 2017, construction began on Sequoia Lodge – the grand six-star luxury lodge – which opened in 2021. Comprising 14 sustainably designed suites with views over the valley, Sequoia includes an exclusive restaurant, bar and hot pools.
“It was previously a gravel car park that sat on the escarpment with views looking out over the Piccadilly Valley. I kept thinking about what we could do there. We spent time finding out what guests and staff would like to see and, over time, determined it should complement the historic estate, while being a hero statement with its own identity,” David says.
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Paul McCartney and Novak Djokovic are among many of the high-profile guests to have stayed at Sequoia in recent years.
Over 40 years, the estate has counted numerous celebrities, politicians and even billionaires among its guests. Members of the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac are among them, with other names held secret as part of a discretion policy.
The property has grown to 44 suites and is staffed by a team of 165. “It’s a family venture – my wife Rachael works on the property, and my daughter works at Sequoia Lodge too,” David says.
David believes that having an iconic destination immersed in nature, so close to a capital city, is a significant asset for South Australia. Ever-evolving, Mount Lofty’s most recent additions include The Terrace Bar, a whiskey and cigar lounge and billiard room, and the Gatekeepers Day Spa. Wellness is a growing focal point.
“We’ve recently introduced a new outdoor wellness area with infrared and traditional saunas, a hot pool and ice bath. We will keep growing even further into the wellness space,” says David.
“Our most recent evolution is making Mount Lofty House open only to adults. To tie in with that new dynamic, we’re adding new experiences such as cocktail classes, wine appreciation and cheese classes; all part of the guest stay.”
Preserving the grounds and gardens is an ongoing focus. And while the hotel’s modernisation has been impressive, history is still front of mind with daily history tours that are popular with guests.
“I believe we’ve kept true to the history of the property. The feeling of heritage is prominent when you stay here,” David says.
Today, when guests walk around the property, they will notice paintings by Adelaide Hills artist Stephen Trebilcock, inspired by the region’s flora and fauna. There are more than 90 of his pieces throughout the hotel, complemented by fresh locally grown flower arrangements produced daily by an in-house florist.
David says today’s iteration of Mount Lofty House has far exceeded his expectations.
“Where we are now has so far surpassed our dream on day one. It is a national icon and one of the most celebrated hotels in the country,” he says.
For David, being part of an institution that has set the backdrop to significant celebrations and milestones in the lives of countless South Australians has also been rewarding.
“It’s a joy to be the current custodian of such a beautiful property with South Australian historical significance.”
This article first appeared in the March 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine.
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