EV-friendly road trip: Sydney to Lithgow
For many years roadwork made visiting the Blue Mountains via the Great Western Highway a chore.
Concrete barriers cordoned off necessary but ugly construction and endless stretches of congested road turned a picturesque drive into permanent peak-hour.
One wonders how much this decade-long punishment helped develop businesses on Bells Line of Road, the alternative route to the mountains from Sydney. When my wife and I first made this journey about 15 years ago it was a revelation: not a witch’s hat to be seen and a road that gently climbed and curved as it passed through bushland and orchards. Little has changed in 2026, except there are many more reasons to stop along the way.
Kurrajong Heights and Bilpin
The journey starts as we cross the Hawkesbury River into North Richmond and the road begins to ascend to the first of many inviting stops, Bellbird Lookout in Kurrajong Heights. This eyrie looks east towards the bushland north of Sydney and, despite some trees having the temerity to partially obscure the view in recent years, it’s still a spectacular taste of the panoramic landscapes ahead.
The Bellbird Lookout in Kurrajong Heights.
The region along Bells Line of Road has always been renowned for its produce, especially apples. While the old farm stalls and ‘pick your own’ options remain, in more recent years a series of breweries and distilleries have popped up in Bilpin, turning fruit into delicious tipples. Bilpin Cider Co. offers alcoholic and non-alcoholic ciders, as well as a tasty lager named after its resident groodle, Charlie. Visitors are free to explore the sprawling property and meet the two donkeys in its back paddock.
A cider (and beer!) tasting paddle at Bilpin Cider Co.
A hundred metres further along the road is the Old Shed Distillery, which creates small-batch gins and whiskeys. The rustic bar provides an inviting spot for a tasting, while a leather lounge setting creates an old-world gentleman’s club feel. On cold winter days the open fire warms a person’s extremities while the spirits light a pleasant fire inside.
More tempting tipples at the Old Shed Distillery.
Mount Tomah and Lithgow
It’s easy to spend a day in Bilpin fattening oneself on local produce and burning money on homewares and bric-a-brac, but there’s more to see along Bells Line of Road – especially at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden in Mount Tomah. There’s no parking fee, no entry fee either, just a breathtaking panorama from its main viewing platform and, below, a labyrinth of bitumen paths leading visitors through an ever-changing array of gardens, from English country lawns and deciduous trees to interesting stone walls and arid climate plants.
The soaring view from the lookout at Blue Mountains Botanic Garden.
From Mount Tomah the road squiggles through dense mountainous bush, with occasional breaks in the tree line exposing the rugged valleys below. At Darling Causeway, Bells Line of Road becomes Chifley Road and winds its way into the old mining town of Lithgow.
Lithgow and Sage Cottage
In the past derided as a ‘gateway’ town, Lithgow now rivals trendier spots such as Orange and Mudgee with its cafés and restaurants, a thriving art scene, and fascinating history.
Our lodgings for our short stay are at Sage Cottage, a Victorian-era residence that has been taken from dilapidation to the epitome of Aussie country comfort with a Euro twist. It sits at the end of a quiet lane and also at the foot of a mountain – the doorstep to the two national parks that hug Lithgow like great bushy arms. Making s’mores around the backyard firepit is a trip highlight for kids and adults alike.
On the first morning I head into the Lithgow town centre to connect up our MG4 Urban EV to the NRMA fast chargers located in a convenient carpark off Eskbank Street. While it’s ‘filling up’ I take a walk around Lithgow’s main drag and happen up the ‘Secret Lane’ – a narrow laneway off Main Steet, where tiny brick-sized paintings from local artists adorn the walls. This creative installation serves as a metaphor for where this once-industrial town is headed.
Art on display in the Secret Lane in the centre of Lithgow.
The café scene is another good indicator of Lithgow’s gradual gentrification and our must-do lunch stop is at The Tin Shed, which has become a hotspot for locals and travellers alike. The food and coffee are amazing and the outdoor area is dog friendly.
The Tin Shed just prior to the daily lunchtime rush.
That afternoon I go for a run around the area surrounding Sage Cottage and notice the seemingly decrepit and abandoned pottery at the other end of Silcock Street. I’m gutted to discover later that it’s not abandoned at all and that from Thursday to Sunday the interior plays host to the Old Lithgow Pottery Espresso Bar.
Not a lot is open on a Monday or Tuesday evening in Lithgow, but on a recommendation we head into town for dinner at Frankie’s Restaurant and Bar. It’s disconcerting at first, because Frankie’s is attached to the Zig Zag Motel (and how often is good food found at a motel restaurant?), but the service is pleasant and the food is simple but first rate.
Hassans Walls and the Zig Zag Railway
In the morning I leave the family sleeping in Sage Cottage’s cosy confines and brave the cold to get some dawn photos at Hassans Walls Lookout. This perch overlooks the Great Western Highway where it snakes through Little Hartley and Lithgow. It’s impressive at any time of day, but with the sunrise casting an evolving palette of colours, shades and shadows across the valley, it’s never looked more spectacular.
For a unique perspective on the Lithgow township, head up to the Lithgow Ex-POW Memorial Tower lookout.
On our return journey to Sydney, we backtrack slightly via the Zig Zag Railway in Clarence. Since the 1970s it has provided visitors with a taste of train travel as it would have been in the 19th century, passing through tunnels and across viaducts with precipitous views into the valley below. Out of action for many years due to catastrophic bushfires, it resumed service in 2023. Frequent stops along the zig-zagging route make it an ideal day out for families during the winter holidays.
The Zig Zag Railway locomotive lets off steam at Bottom Points station.
Read more: Road Trip | Back on track: visiting the Zig Zag Railway
During our visit there’s a pop-up van from The Lolly Bug in Hartley – another business all too familiar with hardship. It survived fire, COVID, and a highway bypass only for the closure of the road down Mount Victoria (due to structural defects in the bridge on Mitchells Causeway) to deal yet another blow. We spend up big on The Lolly Bug’s endless variety of delicious treats and I make a mental note to tell everyone about the travails of this Blue Mountains institution, which has become a family favourite akin to the Berry Donut Van in Berry.
Tough decision: What to choose at the Lolly Bug in Hartley?
Also known as ‘the Convict Bridge’, Mitchells Causeway is still cracked during our visit, so we take Darling Causeway instead and enjoy the classic Blue Mountains run back to Sydney via the Great Western Highway. There’s not a witch’s hat or concrete barrier in sight.
