Sydney to Lithgow drive: Distance, time and road trip attractions

The Sydney to Lithgow drive is 139km in distance, with a driving time of around 2h2m. Several road trip attractions line up along the two possible routes through the Blue Mountains.

The Sydney to Lithgow drive is the first step of a journey out west in New South Wales. Perhaps you’re going from Sydney to Dubbo, or Sydney to Broken Hill. Either way, the leg from Sydney to Lithgow takes you through suburbia and the Blue Mountains, to the point where you feel properly inland rather than in the Greater Sydney Area.

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Sydney to Lithgow distance and driving time

The distance from Sydney to Lithgow depends on which route you take. There are two options – via Bells Line of Road or along the Great Western Highway. The former is 142km, the latter 139km, but the driving time is virtually identical. Traffic permitting, the Sydney to Lithgow drive along either route takes around two hours and two minutes.

Sydney to Lithgow drive via Bells Line of Road

If you choose the Bells Line of Road route, you head out of Sydney on the M7, then turn off up Richmond Road. The route joins Bells Line of Road at Richmond then heads through the northern half of the Blue Mountains. Road trip attractions along the way include the cafés of Kurrajong, Bilpin Cider in Bilpin and the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden at Mount Tomah.

Further on, you can stop to tackle the Mount Banks Summit Walk, take in the views from the Walls Lookout and board the Zigzag Railway at Clarence.

Click through for the next section: Sydney to Lithgow via Great Western Highway.