Bell and Mount Wilson

Bell (pop. 44) and Mount Wilson (pop. 81) are two small towns 14 km apart in the Upper Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. While the former has very little of notable interest except a photogenic train station during the winter, the latter contains several privately-run seasonal botanic gardens that shine during autumn and spring.

Understand

Bell is both a road junction and railway station, set in surroundings of bush. Its name comes from Archibald Bell Jr., a 19th-century colonial Australian explorer who discovered a route that is today known as Bells Line of Road.

• mtwilson.com.au
• https://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/visit-a-park/parks/mount-wilson-area Mt Wilson Area (NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service)

Get in

By car

Mount Wilson is around 8 km from Bells Line of Road (B59) and is connected to the main highway via a small narrow but sealed road (with no shoulder). This T-intersection is 7 km east of Bell.

Bell is at the tripoint of Chifley Rd (B59), 15 km east from Lithgow, Bells Line of Rd (B59) and Darling Causeway (unnumbered), 10 km north of Mount Victoria.

By train

1 Bell Station exists as a request stop (meaning you must inform the guard) supposedly to serve the town of Mt Wilson, but there is no public transit connection between Bell and Mt Wilson, which means that Mt Wilson is only accessible via car. If visiting Bell, there is on average a train to Lithgow every two hours.

During winter, many people visit Bell station as it is one of the few stations to receive snow when the Blue Mountains experience snow, resulting in a very photogenic scene.

Get around

There is no public transit connecting the towns. You will need to drive or cycle, though the latter is incredibly dangerous for the area.

See

All-year gardens

• 1 Bebeah Gardens, 60 The Ave, ☏ +61 2 4756 2014, malvareez@yahoo.com. Daily 10AM–5PM. A well-maintained 12-acre (4.9 ha) garden and with an extensive variety. Although it is open all-year, it like other gardens primarily attracts visitors for the autumn foliage. (updated Apr 2024)
• 2 Merry Garth Garden, 17 Galwey La, merrygarthmtwilson@gmail.com. W 8AM–3PM, plus all weekends of April and first 2 Sundays of May. (updated Apr 2024)
• 3 Windyridge Gardens, 25 Queens Ave, ☏ +61 2 4756 2019, windyridge.mnt.wilson@gmail.com. Daily, from 8AM. A less-visited but quaint historical garden. (updated Apr 2024)

Seasonal gardens

• 4 Breenhold Gardens, 29 The Ave, ☏ +61 2 9968 1232. Only open during autumn and spring, daily 10AM–4PM when open. A very well-maintained garden popular for its autumn colours and has become a popular photography, wedding and film destination. It is not overly large, but the quality of the garden within the small area is worth the $17.50. $17.50 per adult, $5 per child. (updated Apr 2024)
• 5 Kashmir, 8/14 Church La. Mar–May, Sa Su & public holidays 10AM–4PM. Contains the only eatery in Mt Wilson. (updated Apr 2024)

Do

• 1 Cathedral Reserve, 117 Mount Irvine Rd. 24/7. (updated Apr 2024)

Eat

Kashmir has the only eatery in the area with pizza sold for $25. Although it is quite pricey, the quality is top-notch.

Sleep

• 1 Chimney Cottage, Waterfall Rd (at cul-de-sac), ☏ +61 2 4756 2022, reservations@chimneycottage.com.au. (updated Apr 2024)

Connect

There is 4G connection in the area but it can be patchy at times, even with Telstra.

Nearby

• 6 Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah, Bells Line of Rd, Mount Tomah (clearly signposted on brown tourist signs), ☏ +61 2 4567 3000. Daily 9AM–5PM (visitor centre opens 9:30AM). One of the more prominent and larger regional gardens with a diverse range of plants from all over the Blue Mountains. (updated Apr 2024)

Go next

• Zig Zag is directly to the west of Bell.
• Mount Victoria is to the south.

Routes via Bell

Bathurst ← Lithgow ←	W  BMT  E	→ Mount Victoria → Sydney (Central)
Lithgow ← Zig Zag ←	W B59 E	→ Bilpin → Richmond