The ridge at Kurrajong Heights is where Sydney's flat, hot western suburbs finally give way to the Blue Mountains. The Bells Line of Road climbs steeply out of the Hawkesbury lowlands through orchards and bushland, and by the time you reach the village, around five hundred metres up, the air has cooled and the trees have changed from scrubby gums to taller forest. In the morning the valleys below may be full of fog, with the ridge standing clear above it.
Bells Line of Road is named after Archibald Bell Junior, who found the route over the mountains in 1823 while looking for a better way to the western plains than the Blue Mountains crossing further south. It was never a major highway, and the road still feels slightly forgotten, a pleasant alternative to the Great Western Highway for those who prefer to travel without trucks. The riding here is a series of long sweeps and climbs, with the road following ridges and crossing gullies, and the surface is generally good. It is popular with riders from Sydney, particularly at weekends, and the police know it, so keep to the limits.
Kurrajong Heights has a small village centre with a few cafes, a general store and some fruit stalls, and the district is fruit country. Apples, pears, berries, stone fruit and cider are sold from roadside shacks, and in autumn the smell of ripe apples hangs over the road. A hot pie and a coffee from a village bakery is the traditional first stop for a ride heading out toward the mountains. The valley below, the Hawkesbury, is one of the oldest farming districts in Australia, settled in the 1790s to feed the young colony, and its flood plain still produces vegetables and turf.
The area is bushfire country. The summer of 2019 to 2020 brought fires through the surrounding ranges, and the regrowth in the forest is a reminder of how quickly the landscape changes. In summer, check fire bans and road closures before you go, because the road can be shut at short notice. In winter, frost is possible on shaded stretches, and cold fogs can reduce visibility.
For fuel, the village is small, and Richmond, about fourteen kilometres away, is the bigger town on the Hawkesbury with several stations. Ride up with a reasonably full tank, because beyond here the road has few services for a good while. Weekday mornings are the quietest, and the light on the ridge is lovely just after sunrise.