Bells Line of Road
Bells Line of Road is a 59-kilometre (37 mi) major road located in New South Wales, Australia, providing an alternative crossing of the Blue Mountains to the Great Western Highway. The eastern terminus of the road is in Richmond, 51 km northwest of Sydney, where the road continues eastward as Kurrajong Road, which intersects the A9. The western terminus of the road is in Bell, in the Blue Mountains, where the road continues as the Chifley Road.
Bells Line of Road New South Wales | |
|---|---|
| Mount Tomah, Australia | |
West end East end | |
| Coordinates |
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| General information | |
| Type | Road |
| Length | 58.6 km (36 mi) |
| Gazetted | August 1928 |
| Route number(s) | B59 (2013–present) |
| Former route number | State Route 40 (1974–2013) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Chifley Road Bell, New South Wales |
| Darling Causeway | |
| East end | Kurrajong Road Richmond, Sydney |
| Location(s) | |
| Major suburbs | Mount Tomah, Berambing, Bilpin, Kurrajong Heights, Kurmond |
The route, part of the traditional Aboriginal pathway network, was shown to Archibald Bell, Jr. by Darug men Emery and Cogy in 1823. Subsequently, he was accompanied by the Government Assistant Surveyor and the route marked was known as Bell's Line, to be later cleared to become the second road across the Blue Mountains. Due to its condition and the gradients around Mount Tomah it was rarely used before World War II. The road was improved between 1939 and 1943, as an alternative to the Great Western Highway for the war effort. At the same time that it was improved, the road from Bell via Scenic Hill to Lithgow was built, so that the Darling Causeway (the conjoining road connecting Bell and Mount Victoria) carries relatively little traffic, but is a significant tourist route.
Today, the route is still used as an alternative route across the Blue Mountains and is also a popular tourist drive.