The comfortable sandstone home known as Uplands was built on Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong Heights for Henry Edward Peck (Ted) and his wife Julia (nee Leidich), in about 1895.
Stone from the Uplands gully, had previously been quarried to build St David's Church Kurrajong Heights which opened in 1867 and the Belmore Lodge guest house further up the Heights.
Ted was the eldest son of Henry and Mary Peck of Mountain View guest house on Burralow Road.
This was the first guest house in Kurrajong Heights, and was owned and run by the Pecks for 40 years.
Julia was the daughter of John William Leidich of Douglas Road, Kurrajong Heights.
The Hawkesbury Herald dated June 6, 1902 described the setting: "Uplands is right on the main road - the old cattle road to and from Bathurst. It is a pretty building built mainly from stone quarried from its 30 acres".
The property had originally been part of the 1831 grant of 60 acres to John Sherwood.
In the 1930s, Uplands boasted the luxury of electric light and septic sewerage and a permanent supply of both hot and cold water. Energetic guests could enjoy outdoor activities such as golf and tennis and motor trips could be arranged with picnic hampers being supplied for those venturing out for a day of sightseeing.
Tariff was from £2 and 5 shillings per week or 8 shillings and 6 pence per day.
Charges for children depended on their age with up to ten years being 25 shillings and eleven to fourteen years, 30 shillings per day.
When Henry Edward (Ted), built the Kurrajong Heights Hotel in 1927/1928, he and Julia moved from Uplands to live on the second floor of the hotel, with Uplands remaining a guest house for many years.
At this time, all the guest houses in Kurrajong Heights were supplied with piped water from the Heights Hotel. The water was pumped from the weir in Burralow Creek, to an in-ground tank above the hotel.
The Pecks also had a dairy and piggery approximately a kilometre west of Cut Rock, supplying milk, cream, butter, eggs, meat etc., to the hotel and their guest houses at Kurrajong Heights, including Allambie. The farm assisted in the disposing of the kitchen waste from the guest houses.
In 1950 under Theo Hughes, Uplands became a weekend retreat for The Women's League of Health, a world-wide exercise phenomenon founded by Mary Bagot-Stack in England in 1930. The Australian branch formed in 1935 offered exercise classes for those "who would bestir themselves physically and mentally".
The beautifully maintained house and one acre garden at Uplands is now privately owned with 29 acres of the original property having become part of the Fernbrook Estate in Queen Street, Kurrajong Heights.
