Out and About with Michelle Byrne
We are blessed to live in one of the most beautiful parts of NSW where the urban meets the semi-rural part of Sydney. As a result, we have lots of wonderful lookouts providing incredible views as well as places to sit and relax away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Every drive we go on is a chance to discover a new lookout or to revisit a lookout we have been to before, of which we can’t just get enough!
Here are a few of our favourite lookouts across the Hills and Hawkesbury and we encourage you to also explore these lookouts and enjoy them as much as we do.
Hawkins Lookout
This is located on Old Northern Road, Wisemans Ferry is the best place in the State to get a spectacular view of the sparkling Hawkesbury River and the valley below. We love watching the Webb’s Creek Ferry and other boats on the river.
There is a corten steel heritage bus to pose beside, a tribute to bus driver Fred Hawkins who would often stop at the steepest hill overlooking the river for his passengers to enjoy the view. With a small picnic area, Hawkins Lookout is a great place to stop for a bite to eat and to enjoy one of the best views in the Hills.
Bellbird Lookout, Kurrajong Heights
Located on Bells Line of Road, this is one of our favourite places to stop on our way back from fruit picking in Bilpin. At 500 metres above sea level, this lookout gives extensive views to the east, south and north over the Hawkesbury Valley and the Sydney Basin. What we love best about this lookout is that if you listen carefully, you will hear the distinct call of the bellbirds through the valley. Unlike many of the other lookouts we visit,
Turkeys Nest Recreation Park on Tamborine Drive, Beaumont Hills is in the urban part of the Hills. This lookout offers stunning views over Northwest Sydney including over Rouse Hill, Blacktown and Norwest Business Park particularly at night with all the lights.
The great thing about this location is that it also has a large pond, a playground, picnic shelters and walking tracks making it the perfect place to enjoy the afternoon whilst appreciating the view. The park was a dairy farm up until the 1970s and features metal cow statues and milk jugs as a reminder of the site’s past.
One of the newer lookouts we have visited in recent times is the Hawkesbury Lookout located at Hawkesbury Heights. This lookout, located between Hawkesbury and Katoomba, offers a place to stop and stretch your legs and enjoy an incredible view out of the Nepean River and the Cumberland Plain. There are picnic tables and chairs to sit and enjoy the view.
Other Lookouts that are worth exploring include Vale of Avoca Lookout in Grose Vale, Streetons Lookout in Freemans Reach, Porters Lookout Reserve in Dural and Huntingdale Circuit Reserve in Castle Hill, to name just a few.
If you are looking for something to do this weekend, why not jump in the car and go and enjoy some of the best views in the State.
