The fall colours

Are you aware of those places that do not have any bad pictures? Do you want to visit a picture-perfect place in Australia? A place that is a photographer’s delight, especially during the autumn season? Mount Wilson is that place in the Blue Mountains.

Are you visiting Blue Mountains for the first time? Then read my post Blue Mountains as a tourist.

Yes, Mount Wilson is very popular during the autumn season. There are plenty of private gardens that turn into red, green, and yellow during this season. The sight of these trees is absolutely amazing and spectacular. It is extremely popular among the photographers and many events are conducted to capture this beauty.

For fun big things to see on the way, read 11 big things to see in NSW.

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About Mount Wilson...

Mount Wilson, at an elevation of 1741 metres, is a village in the Blue Mountains and is officially known as the heritage garden village. The village is named in the honour of the then Minister of Lands, John Bowie Wilson. This village is not populated at all and according to the 2016 census, there were only 99 people who resided in the village.

The nearest residential village is Bell, which is about 15 kilometres from Mount Wilson.

How do you get there?

Drive

Mount Wilson is located in the Blue mountains which is about 125 kilometres (2.5 hours) from Sydney. The freeways M2 and M7 take you to Richmond Road. From Richmond Road, one needs to take the B59 to reach Mount Wilson.

Note: This route has toll roads and the cost of traveling one way on M7 is approximately AUD 7 to 8. More details on tolls and costs can be found on the Roads and Maritime website.

Public transport

Unfortunately, there is no public transport to Mount Wilson.

There is a railway station in Bell which is a request stop only. So one needs to make their way from Bell to Mount Wilson, which is around 14 kilometres away.

The other alternative is to go to Mt Victoria train station and take a taxi (20 minutes drive) to Mount Wilson. Refer the Transport for NSW website for up-to-date information on trains.

Best time

As I mentioned above, Mount Wilson is extremely popular during the autumn (March to May) season. And one will find a massive crowd, especially during the weekends.

The gardens are also famous during the spring (September to November) season as the flowers bloom and the trees/gardens look straight out of a fairy tale.

Generally, everyone extends their trip to Mount Wilson to visit Mount Irvine. Mount Irvine is just about 10 kilometres from Mount Wilson.

Did you know that Mount Wilson also gets snow couple of times a year around winter (June to August) season?

Gardens of Mount Wilson

There are numerous gardens (such as Windyridge and Bebeah Gardens) in Mount Wilson. They are privately owned and they collect an entrance fee. The entrance fee is very minimal around AUD 7 to 10 and has to be paid by cash at the entrance of the garden. Visiting one of these gardens is definitely a must-do when in Mount Wilson.

The gardens are always open from 9:30 AM to 4 PM throughout the year, however, some of them do close when the weather is bad and is definitely closed on Christmas Day. For the exact timings and up-to-date information on the gardens, refer to the Mount Wilson website.

Mount Wilson also celebrates a garden festival which is conducted in the months of April and May.

Capturing pictures

I follow some basic rules while capturing the autumn colours.

• Ensure to take a tripod to capture beautiful pictures of the garden.
• Look for different colours as they add brightness and vibrance to the pictures.
• Focus on the light. And use some post-processing tools to enhance the colours.
• Walk around the gardens to get a good setting.
• Try various angles to get a good perspective.

Other things to do

Walks & Hikes

There are many walks in the area. Some of them are around the Waterfall reserve and the Wollangambe River. The track around the Wollangambe River is said to be for experienced hikers. Unfortunately, I have not done any of these walks until now and have always visited Mount Wilson to visit the gardens and have a relaxed weekend.

Lookouts

There are some amazing lookouts in the Mount Wilson area where one can enjoy breathtaking views of the Blue Mountains. One such lookout is the Du Faurs Rocks Lookout. It is surely a must during the sunrises and sunsets.

Du Faurs Rocks Lookout

Cafes & restaurants

There are no cafes or restaurants in Mount Wilson itself, but there are some small bakeries and cafes on the way to Mount Wilson. The best place to have lunch or sip a coffee is in Bilpin (35 kilometres from Mount Wilson) or Tomah (20 kilometres from Mount Wilson), which is all in the 25 to 35 kilometres vicinity of Mount Wilson. For a detailed list of the restaurants which are available at Mount Wilson, refer Tripadvisor website.

Apart from the above, there is also a Turkish Bath Museum where one can read the history of Turkish Bath, a fine example of Victorian architecture. More details about the history can be read on the Mt Wilson website.

Is it safe for solo female travelers?

Absolutely yes, Mount Wilson is very safe for solo female travelers. I have been to this place about three times now and the first time I visited alone. I did not have any issues or concerns and had a great time there. The people are friendly and nice. And most of them are visitors so generally they avoid any trouble and mind their own business.

However, like any other place, be cautious especially at nights, and trust your instinct.

Closing notes

We, Sydneysiders, love Mount Wilson and head to these gardens almost every autumn season. I would definitely recommend visiting this pretty place and capturing the memories and the pictures on your camera. This place is surely a picture-perfect place!

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