Bell (

postcode A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...

: 2786) is a small rural and residential

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in the Blue Mountains region of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is the north-westernmost village in the

City of Blue Mountains The City of Blue Mountains is a Local government in Australia, local government area of New South Wales, Australia, governed by the Blue Mountains City Council. The city is located in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales), Blue Mountains, on th ...

, located approximately west of

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...

by road or by rail, approximately east of Lithgow and north of Mount Victoria. It is a locality on the junction of the Bells Line of Road, Chifley Road and the Darling Causeway, with an elevation of approximately .

Description and history

Bell is named after Archibald Bell, Jr., who was the first colonial man to map the route over the Blue Mountains via

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. This crossing had been partly explored by colonial explorer George Caley, who went as far as Mount Banks in 1804, but Bell was the first colonial explorer to go the whole way from the Richmond area to the Bell area thanks to Indigenous guides,

Darug The Dharug or Darug people, are a nation of Aboriginal Australian clans, who share ties of kinship, country and culture. In pre-colonial times, they lived as hunters in the region of current day Sydney. The Darug speak one of two dialects o ...

men Emery and Cogy, who were already quite familiar with the route. The Bells Line of Road was later established along this route. Bell is on the

Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...

. The railway station was built in 1875 to service the village of Mount Wilson, some from Bell. Bell railway station was originally named Mount Wilson railway station. Bell railway station is above sea level. The area has a small number of properties with an average size of approximately , and in surrounding areas are various walking tracks, (some in the national park and some on private property) which give views of the Hartley Valley, Wollangambe Wilderness and surrounding areas. Bell is entirely surrounded by native bush, most of which is part of the

Blue Mountains National Park The Blue Mountains National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, in eastern Australia. The national park is situated approximately west of the Sydney CBD, and the park boundary is ...

. This section of the park is dominated by the

Wollangambe River The Wollangambe River, an Australian perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury Nepean catchment within the Sydney Basin, is located in the Greater Blue Mountains Area of New South Wales. Course and features The Wollangambe River rises abou ...

, which begins north of Bell and flows to the Colo River. The area is rugged, stony country with few tracks. A walking trail from Bell gives access to the Wollangambe River and is used as a starting point by experienced bushwalkers venturing into the Wollangambe Wilderness. Bell enjoys a cool mountain climate, with snow falls occurring most years. Bell's average winter (July) minimum temperature is with an average maximum of . In summer, Bell enjoys considerably cooler temperatures than the nearby Sydney basin, with an average maximum of in January. Hot westerly winds can cause the temperature to occasionally rise to the range of . As Bell's Line of Road is the only alternative route to the

Great Western Highway Great Western Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, Australia. From east to west, the highway links Sydney with Bathurst, New South Wales, Bathurst, on the state's Central Tablelands. The highway also has local road names between the ...

over the Blue Mountains, Bell is the site of an RTA Heavy Vehicle Checking Station.

References

External links

Blue Mountains City Council Community Profile
* {{authority control Towns in New South Wales Suburbs of the City of Blue Mountains City of Lithgow