Drive to The Hive—Not To BEE!!!

26 October 2025 / Story by Eilis Weir, photos by Rob Wilko & Mark Godfrey

We set off on a beautiful clear morning from Dural with our tops down hoping the weather forecasters were incorrect about the predicted heatwave conditions.  Our group of 9 MX5s meandered through the backroads enjoying the drive through the picturesque countryside of Cattai, South Maroota and down to the Sackville Ferry. We managed to get all cars aboard the ferry across the Hawkesbury giving us plenty of time for our break at Ebenezer Church.

My almond biscuits appeared to be a winner enjoyed by many under the shade of the church grounds. Prior to setting off again, the temperature had soared to 37C from the blustering north westerly winds. With our tops still down and the aircon on full we bandied on up the mountain hoping the temperature would be cooler at our lunch stop. The views of the mountains were spectacular as always.

As we turned on to Bells Line of Rd we nearly missed “Old Garry” from RPM waiting up the road to join our convoy.  His vehicle was quickly filling up with leaves as he shaded underneath a tree.  As we continued to climb the temperature dropped slightly to 33C, however the winds had not abated. Just a few minutes out from arriving at our lunch spot I received a call from the Hive that they had lost power and no food would be available for our group. The Hive was not to BEE!!  I sheepishly relayed this message to our convoy.  A suggestion was to eat the leftover biscuits. Regrettably too few left to feed the masses.

Luckily just a few kms up the road the day was saved by The Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens Café who stayed open to provide us all with a delicious lunch. Their generator was working. Yeay!  The weather was indeed wild today. No sooner had we all sat down to lunch the wind gusts came up scattering the tables and chairs across the outdoor terrace. We all remained unscathed as we had opted to sit inside where it was cooler.  With lunch over, the generator of the Botanic Gardens tripped signalling that it was time to leave.

Maybe next time I’ll bring even more biscuits!