MBCNSW February 2023 Night drive to Hawkesbury Lookout

After last month’s inner city night drive, for February we were back to our normal formula of less trafficked roads on the urban fringe.     The drive route came from a suggestion from a MBCNSW member to visit Hawkesbury Lookout and Krispy Kreme.     Penrith Krispy Kreme would be our starting point, as it closes at 11PM on a Thursday Night.    It turned out to be a popular choice, as most members picked up a box of doughnuts before the drive.   In a few cases, they were ostensibly for partners, but obviously a number of samples had to be taken.   It wouldn’t do to bring home bad doughnuts.

Our route would take us up the windy Old Bathurst Road towards Blaxland.   Once we got out of Penrith, we didn’t see much traffic until we hit the Great Western Highway.    From there, we joined Hawkesbury Road until we reached our mid-way muster point at Hawkesbury Lookout.   The lookout provides great views back over the greater Sydney region.   At night however, it also sometimes provides a location for couples that don’t want to go for a hotel room.    At the time we got there, there was a van that from the squeaking could use some attention to the rear suspension.    There were also some community minded folks using the local bush as a dumping ground.

After Hawkesbury Lookout, we proceeded to our destination of McDonalds Windsor.   This section of the drive started out with a set of hairpin bends just past the lookout, and then much faster sections before we approached Richmond.    We passed the RAAF base and the finally arrived at McDonalds, which helpfully is open 24×7.    Helpfully the actual restaurant is open, not just the drive through.   What sort of savage eats in their classic Mercedes?

I took my 560SEC on this drive.   Due to travel over Xmas, then work travel in February, I hadn’t driven it much since the December night drive.    I noticed that both the power steering reservoir and self-leveling rear suspension reservoir was low.   Since I had a lot of work done to these systems late last year, I wondered if I had just purged some air bubbles, or if I had a leak.   Turns out, I have a leak, as both were low when I returned from the drive.    Other than that, the car performed really well.

As well as my car, we had mostly classic Mercedes with a R107 500SL, W126 420SEL, W124 300E and 300E 2.6 and a modern CLA45S.    At the start we also had a W202 come to say hello, but not join us on the actual drive.     The weather preceding the drive had not been the greatest, which probably had an impact on turn out.

I had trialled the route with some friends in early January, so was pretty confident it would work well.   It was a nice relaxing drive and the whole group was able to stay together.

Next month, our night drive route takes us south.