On the journey from Richmond to Mount Tomah Bell followed the directions of an Aboriginal woman who had travelled the route.

[2][3] He initially failed to find a safe descent to the west from Mount Tomah, but returned a month later and was able to travel into the Hartley valley where he joined up with Cox's road.

[1] Bell found the greatest difficulty on the journey "was in the thick part of his way to Tomah, so much so that in one place he was forced to cut his way through three miles".

[4][5] Upon his return in September 1823 Archibald Bell sent his report of the route over the Blue Mountains to Governor Brisbane.

Soon afterwards the surveyor-general John Oxley instructed his assistant-surveyor Robert Hoddle to survey Bell's line of road.