She had early lead roles in Cornflakes for Tea, The Bush Gang, and Home, before appearing in The Flying Doctors miniseries as Diana Daniels, and Prisoner as Roach Waters in 1986.
[2] Hartley played Diana Daniels in The Flying Doctors miniseries, alongside her future Neighbours co-star Stefan Dennis.
[2] She played Gloria Slater in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before she was cast as Rachel "Roach" Waters in Prisoner in 1986.
[6][7] After leaving Neighbours, Hartley went to the UK and appeared on gameshow Go Getters, children's series WYSIWYG, crime drama Anna Lee and the film Still Life.
[9] She also provided voiceovers for Kerry's diary entries which are read by her daughter Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) in 2004 and 2006.