`Born to be Wild - the Motorcycle in Australia' will explore the place of the machine in Australian culture through a display of motorcycles, motorcycle memorabilia and Australian art about motorcycles at Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest.

Artists to be featured include Patricia Piccinini, Tim Silver, Shaun Gladwell, Steve Smith, Eamon O'Toole, Tracey Moffatt, Scott Trevalyn, Chris O'Doherty aka Reg Mombassa, Richard Larter, Margaret Dodd.

The exhibition will also mark the arrival of 5000 motorbike enthusiasts to the Ulysses Club 2009 annual general meeting in Penrith from March 16 - 22.

The Macquarie Town's Motorcycle Restoration and Preservation Club has advised and helped the gallery to borrow 19 motorcycles from public and private collections that represent the diversity of the motorcycle's story from its early twentieth century to the contemporary period.

These motorcycles celebrate the shifts in industrial and aesthetic design, covering models built in America, England, Japan and Australia.

They include a 1905 Triumph that presents a fine example of the transition from bicycle to motorcycle and the speedway motorcycle, `Daisy', a Rudge/JAP 1933 that celebrates Australia's invention of dirt track racing.

A 1942 BSA represents the motorcycle's induction into war service while the orange 1972 Triumph X75 Hurricane 750cc situates the machine at the heart of consumer society.

The 1977 Harley Davidson XLCR Cafe Racer and the 1985 Laverda SFC1000 are good examples of limited edition motorcycles now highly prized models.

Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest is at 86 River Road Emu Plains.