The Bells Line of Road is somewhere that I had been hearing about for many years, especially with regard to riding motorcycles. Likewise, Mt Wilson is a place that I have been interested in visiting for some time. I had read an article about it in a recent motorbike magazine from the point of view of a rider visiting there for the day. Over the past few weeks I had been keeping an eye on the weather, social and family commitments waiting for the opportunity to venture north west.
The previous weekend, all had looked good, until a cold snap showed a predicted top temperature at Mt Wilson of 7 degrees with a reel feel of 3 degrees. Too cold for me.
This week the temperature looked more like 17 degrees. Good enough. My wife decided to come as well, but opted to drive rather than pillion. This was OK with me as I like to try out a road on my own first before committing to a long ride with a pillion. Some roads are more suitable than others.
We got away about 9 am and went out through Casula to Bringelly and then turned right on to the Northern Road. This takes you north through Luddenham and the eastern edge of Penrith. Then on to Londonderry Road, through Londonderry and straight on to Richmond. Then right on to Kurrajong Rd, across the Hawkesbury river and then you are on Bells Line of Road.
The initial climb through North Richmond and Kurrajong heights is steep and fairly slow going, but then you level out somewhat and wind through Bilpin. The countryside is beautiful with occasional view off through the valleys to the mountains beyond.
We stopped at the Bilpin Fruit Bowl for coffee and to buy some of the compulsory apples. Right in the middle of the shop they have a woman baking fresh apple pies and the smell as they come out of the oven gives the seller an unfair advantage over the buyer.
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| Bilpin Fruit Bowl - Watch out for the hot apple pies. |
From there we continued along Bells Line of Road passed the Mt Tomah Botanic Gardens, which look like a nice place to stop on future visits, until we came to a spot called the Walls lookout. We parked in the small car park and took the 1 km trek to the lookout which had the most spectacular views over the Grose valley. Well worth the trek. This took about 1 hour all up.
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| The wife and I - At the Walls Lookout - Bells Line of road. |
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| The Walls |
We then carried on the short distance down the Bells Line of Road to the Mt Wilson (two, three, ) turnoff. As you approach Mt Wilson you can see the change in vegetation. The bush becomes much more lush with more ferns and larger trees. The rich soil, higher rainfall and cooler climate has made it a popular place for large English style gardens since it was settled around 1875.
At this time of year, the deciduous trees are changing colour and trees are beautiful shades of red green and gold. It is a very impressive place to drive into at this time of year. We stumbled onto a private garden at a home called WindyRidge and spent half an hour wandering around. It was a very beautiful place. Have a look at the photos. We spent the 45 minutes looking around Mt Wilson and enjoying the sites of the huge, colourful trees and the avenues lined with fallen leaves. Time was ticking away and we were looking for a late lunch. The only café advertised in Mt wilson was closed on the day. We had earlier had thoughts of going on to Lithgow but it was getting too late for that, so we decided to head back to Bilpin to find somewhere to eat.
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| In The Apple Bar - Decision time. |
We stopped at a the first place that served food that didn’t say hamburgers or pies on the sign out the front. As it turned out, this was the find of the day. We were at the Apple Bar and as soon as I saw the Good Food Guide sticker on the front door my confidence lifted. The apple bar was a gem. Have a look in Cafes and pubs for more info.
After an hour or so over a very tasty lunch, time was getting away. We hit the road for the trip home. We went back the same route, only now the roads were getting busier with people coming home from work. Fortunately the heavier traffic was going in the opposite direction to us, but it still took quite a while and it was dark by the time we got home. A small serve of fresh apple pie was all that was required.
All in all it was a great day and great ride. The Bells Line of Road is highly recommended for a cruise on the bike. Next time I will make sure I have ti,e to go all the way to Lithgow. My wife might even go on the bike.
Looks like a wonderful day out. The autumnal colours of the Blue Mountains never disappoint.
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