This year, Mount Lofty House marks four decades as one of Australia’s most celebrated luxury hotels. It is a milestone worth reflecting on: a story of fire, restoration, ambition and the quiet, steady work of turning a historic Adelaide Hills estate into a national icon.
SALIFE magazine recently sat down with owner David Horbelt to explore that journey in depth. Read the full feature here.
“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.” — David Horbelt, Owner, Mount Lofty House
Born from the Ashes
The story of Mount Lofty House as a hotel begins with tragedy. On 16 February 1983, Ash Wednesday swept through Victoria and South Australia in what remains the worst bushfire disaster in the country’s recorded history. Among the 300 buildings lost in South Australia was Mount Lofty House itself: the grand manor built by Arthur Hardy in 1852, perched on the highest point overlooking the Adelaide plains.
The property’s occupants at the time had owned it for only a matter of weeks. They left to collect their children from school and returned to find the road blocked and flames leaping across Summit Road.
Local architect Ross Sands purchased the fire-razed property in the aftermath and spent three years restoring the manor to its former glory. He and his wife Janet opened Mount Lofty House to guests for the first time in February 1986, exactly three years after Ash Wednesday. In its very first year of operation, the hotel won the 1986 National Tourism Award as South Australia’s top tourist resort.
That early recognition set the tone for everything that followed.
The Piccadilly Wing was added in 1988, expanding the property from eight rooms to 31. Ross also secured accreditation through an esteemed international Chateaux group, a badge of prestige that placed Mount Lofty House firmly on the radar of international travellers.
A New Vision
David Horbelt purchased Mount Lofty House in 2009, drawn in by the grandeur of the manor and its extraordinary grounds, including the 175-year-old giant sequoia trees that had survived the 1983 fires.
“By the time we came along, it had changed ownership and had lost its edge through corporatisation,” David reflects. “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.”
The work began immediately. Attention was given to the gardens, the hotel was refurbished, and the reception was relocated from the lower Piccadilly Wing back into the manor’s original drawing room, restoring the front door as the first point of entry for guests.
“As soon as you walk up the steps into the manor house, it oozes luxury and history,” David says.
Three priorities guided the transformation:
- Reconnecting with history: daily history tours were introduced, and more than 90 original artworks by Adelaide Hills artist Stephen Trebilcock now hang throughout the hotel
- Elevating the guest experience: suites were redesigned to match a true five-star standard, with in-house florists producing fresh floral arrangements daily
- Building a world-class dining destination: the decision that would prove most transformative of all
Hardy’s Verandah: The Decision That Changed Everything
The most consequential move David made was also the boldest: transforming Hardy’s Verandah Restaurant into a world-class fine dining destination. It came at a cost. Four guest rooms were sacrificed, five walls demolished, and 15 openings created to carve out new dining spaces. The adjacent Arthur Waterhouse Lounge Bar was extended into a sophisticated cocktail bar, and the cellar was expanded into a temperature-controlled home for 1,300 of the finest wines from Australia and around the world.
“The most pivotal moment was deciding to create a statement restaurant up there with the best in the country,” David says. “This high-end dining experience dictated that our suites needed to match the level of sophistication: true luxury, five-star, throughout.”
The gamble paid off. Hardy’s Verandah was awarded Three Chef Hats by the Australian Good Food Guide under the leadership of head chef Jin Choi, a status that has been maintained in subsequent years. In late 2025, the restaurant welcomed back chef Alessandro Mangione, who had previously trained under Jin, bringing a new chapter of culinary leadership to the kitchen.
The Three Chef Hat rating placed Hardy’s Verandah among the finest restaurants in the country and set the standard for every aspect of the hotel that followed.
Sequoia Lodge: A Hero Statement
With the restaurant firmly established as a destination in its own right, attention turned to the gravel car park sitting on the escarpment overlooking the Piccadilly Valley. It was, David recalls, an obvious opportunity hiding in plain sight.
Construction began on Sequoia Lodge shortly after the restaurant launched in 2017, and the grand six-star luxury lodge opened in 2021. Comprising 14 sustainably designed suites with sweeping valley views, Sequoia includes its own exclusive restaurant, bar and hot pools.
“I kept thinking about what we could do there,” David says. “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.”
The result is a property within a property: a self-contained sanctuary that draws its own audience while sitting seamlessly alongside the original manor. Since opening, Sequoia has welcomed some of the world’s most recognisable names.
Paul McCartney and Novak Djokovic are among the high-profile guests to have stayed at Sequoia in recent years.
Over 40 years, the estate has counted celebrities, politicians and billionaires among its guests. Members of the Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac have stayed here, though many names are held in strict confidence as part of the property’s discretion policy.
Always Evolving
Today, Mount Lofty House spans 44 suites and is run by a team of 165. It is, in every sense, a family venture. David’s wife Rachael works on the property, and his daughter works at Sequoia Lodge.
The most recent chapter in the property’s evolution is a significant one: Mount Lofty House is now an adults-only destination. The shift has brought with it a new suite of guest experiences designed to match that positioning.
What’s New
Recent additions include:
- The Terrace Bar: an outdoor bar with views across the Adelaide Hills
- A whisky and cigar lounge and billiard room
- The Gatekeepers Day Spa: a dedicated wellness retreat on the estate grounds
- An outdoor wellness area: featuring infrared and traditional saunas, a hot pool and ice bath
- Curated guest experiences: cocktail classes, wine appreciation sessions and cheese tastings, all woven into the stay
“We will keep growing even further into the wellness space,” David says.
Preserving the grounds and gardens remains an ongoing priority. Daily history tours continue to be popular with guests, and the hotel’s connection to its past is visible throughout: more than 90 original paintings by Adelaide Hills artist Stephen Trebilcock, inspired by the region’s flora and fauna, hang throughout the property. Fresh floral arrangements produced daily by an in-house florist complete the picture.
“I believe we’ve kept true to the history of the property. The feeling of heritage is prominent when you stay here,” David says.
A National Icon, 40 Years On
Four decades after Ross and Janet Sands first opened the doors of a restored manor to guests, Mount Lofty House stands as one of Australia’s most celebrated luxury properties. The numbers tell part of the story: 44 suites, 165 staff, Three Chef Hats, six-star accommodation, and a cellar stocked with 1,300 of the finest wines in the country.
But what David Horbelt returns to, again and again, is something harder to quantify.
“It’s a joy to be the current custodian of such a beautiful property with South Australian historical significance,” 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 deeply rewarding.”
“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.”
The story of Mount Lofty House is one of survival, vision and the kind of patient, purposeful stewardship that turns a historic estate into a living institution. It is far from finished.
This story was first published in the March 2026 issue of SALIFE magazine. Read the full feature here.