Although Bowenfels is now essentially a suburb
of Lithgow, it was, in fact, the first settlement in the valley, predating
the existence of the larger city by nearly 40 years. The village emerged
in the early 1830’s to serve travelers along Mitchell’s
new line of road to Bathurst, completed in 1832.
Mr. Mitchell named
the township after George Mears Bowen, a former member of his department
with whom he had quarreled. The arrival of the railway in 1869 enabled
the industrialization and development of Lithgow but it also signaled
the decline of the road town of Bowenfels.
The first Presbyterian
Church (1842) and national school (1851) west of the Blue Mountains
were also
established here. Bowenfels now serves as the gateway to a myriad
of interesting attractions including the Evans Crown Nature Reserve,
Mt
Blaxland, the Bowenfels Cashmere Farm and Lake Lyell.
Lake Lyell,
built by the electricity Commission to provide cooling water for
the Wallerawang
and Mount Piper Power Stations offers the prospect of trout fishing,
swimming, power boating, water skiing and hydroplane racing.
There is a camping area with toilets and picnicking facilities
