Lake Lyell built by the Electricity Commission

Bowenfels
Small village townships on the outskirts of Lithgow
Today there are effectively two Bowenfels. Directly opposite Lithgow, on the western side of the Great Western Highway, is Bowenfels (with the homestead of the valley's first settler, Andrew Brown). A little over a kilometre south along the highway towards Katoomba, is South Bowenfels. Although both are now essentially suburbs of Lithgow, Bowenfels was, in fact, the first settlement in the valley, predating the existence of the larger city by nearly 40 years.

The valley was occupied by the Wiradjuri Aborigines prior to European settlement. The first Europeans in the vicinity were Wentworth, Lawson and Blaxland who became the first whites to find a route through the Blue Mountains in 1813. The first European settler on this land was Scotsman Andrew Brown who later founded St Andrew's College at the University of Sydney. He established 'Cooerwull' station at what is now northern Bowenfels in 1824 and built a water-powered mill. He later converted to steam power by using coal mined on his property, although the state of road transport over the Blue Mountains did not allow for commercial mining.

The village emerged in the early 1830s to serve travellers along Mitchell's new line of road to Bathurst, completed in 1832. Mitchell named the township after George Mears Bowen, a former member of his department with whom he had quarrelled.

Several inns emerged in the early days. One was used as a changing station by Cobb & Co. Governor Fitzroy is known to have stayed at Binning's Inn around 1850. The first Presbyterian Church (1842) and national school (1851) west of the Blue Mountains were also established here.

When the railway arrived in 1869, Main Camp No. 5 was set up near where the station at North Bowenfels now stands. The railway enabled the industrialisation and development of Lithgow but it also signalled the decline of the road-town of Bowenfels.

Things to see:  

Tourist Information
Tourist information is available from the Lithgow Visitors' Centre, tel: (02) 6353 1859.

Bowenfels Cashmere Farm
From the Lithgow turnoff, head south along the highway towards Katoomba for about 2 km. Just past the service station, turn right into Rydal Rd (it is signposted for Lake Lyell and Bowenfels Cashmere Farm). About 2 km along this road there is another turnoff on the right, signposted for the cashmere farm.

Goat shearing and combing are carried out from mid-July to August. There are cashmere and cashgore spinning yarns and knits, goat skin products, barbecue facilities and donkey-cart rides. They are open weekends and public holidays, from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (02) 6353 1480.

Lake Lyell
If you ignore the turnoff to the cashmere farm, the main road will lead, after 3 or 4 km, to Lake Lyell which was built by the Electricity Commission to provide cooling water for the Wallerawang and Mt Piper power stations. It offers the prospect of trout fishing, swimming, power boating, waterskiing and hydroplane racing. There is a camping area with toilets and picnicking facilities.

Evans Crown Nature Reserve
22 km west of South Bowenfels is the small rural village of Tarana. As you approach Tarana watch out for a house on the right called 'Blink Bonny' and a power-cable tower to the left. Follow the road around the corner and turn left into Honeysuckle Falls Rd which soon leads past Evans Crown Nature Reserve, an attractive bushwalking area with diverse fauna and flora and some outstanding granite tors. Crown Rock was an initiation and corroboree site for the Wiradjuri people. From its apex George Evans first sighted the Bathurst Plains in 1813. Today it is popular with abseilers. The track to the summit is not that difficult and takes about half an hour. There are no facilities nor designated walking trails.

Presbyterian Church
The village of Old Bowenfels lies on the western side of the highway. The nucleus of the settlement is the oldest Presbyterian Church west of the Blue Mountains. This Gothic Revival structure was built in 1842 of dressed local sandstone with floorboards of pit-sawn mountain ash and cedar joinery (including the pulpit). There is a large hall at the rear.

The complex was financed and organised by Andrew Brown, who built Cooerwull Academy (now known as De La Salle College) at Lithgow and founded St Andrew's College at the University of Sydney. He is buried in the cemetery, along with other local pioneers. A sessions house was added in 1885.

Somerset House
Somerset House is a two-storey brick and sandstone residence with an attic which was built as an inn around 1840. A brick addition was made c.1870 with scalloped bargeboards. It is linked to the stone section by a five-bay timber verandah. There are some stone stables to the rear.

School
The school is situated along a road which heads west off the highway. The building on the left, at the entrance, was the original schoolhouse (1851). It was the first national school to be opened west of the Blue Mountains. The other stone building was erected as a new schoolhouse in 1858 and the older building became the schoolmaster's residence.

Ben Avon
Adjacent the school is Ben Avon, a large single-storey building of dressed sandstone with an attic, dormer windows, an eight-bay verandah supported by fluted timber posts.and a picket fence. It was built around 1845 as a store and residence and later became the Royal Hotel which was a Cobb & Co changing station.

Ulmera
Ulmera was built of sandstone in 1850 as Bowenfels Inn. In 1869 the Australian Joint Stock Bank opened an office in the building but they moved to Lithgow soon thereafter.

Former Emu Store
The former Emu Store was built as a residence in 1840. A front room was added in the 1850s when it became a shop.

Mt Blaxland
Just beyond the Emu Store, McKanes Falls Rd (also known as Lithgow Rd) heads south towards Hampton and the Jenolan Caves. 4 km along the road you can see, to the right, Mt Blaxland where there is a memorial cairn indicating that this was the most westerly point reached by the 1813 expedition of Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson, the first European party to find a route over the Blue Mountains.

Fernhill
A couple of kilometres further east along the highway, to the right, is 'Fernhill', a single-storey dressed sandstone building which was built c.1858 as the Australian Arms Inn. It has a double-pitched hipped roof, a separate kitchen wing and a rubble sandstone stables building.

	Motels
	Bowen Inn Great Western Hwy Bowenfels NSW 2790 Telephone: (02) 6352 5111
	Hotels
	Royal Hotel Great Western Hwy Bowenfels NSW 2790 Telephone: (02) 6351 3063
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Leithfels Bed & Breakfast Magpie Hollow Rd Bowenfels NSW 2790 Telephone: (02) 6352 3755, 0408 639 262
	Cottages & Cabins
	Forty Bends Cottage Forty Bends Rd Bowenfels NSW 2790 Telephone: (02) 6352 3577