Planning a trip to Canberra?
Well, rest assured, Namadgi National Park has more than enough to quench your outdoors thirst.
Covering about half the Territory, this 1058km2 Park has a wide range of activities including hiking, climbing, mountain biking and camping.
What follows is a suggestion for some hikes of various lengths.
Just got the morning
Try Booroomba Rocks, it’s about 40mins hike each way from the carpark off Apollo Rd, and gives spectacular views back to Canberra and through a lot of Namadgi.
If you’re a climber bring your rope and rack because there is probably the best climbing in the ACT here.
Only half a day
Square Rock is an iconic boulder cluster situated above Corin Rd. It’s an easy 1.5hrs each way, winding gently up the ridge to the massive boulders.
As usual, the views are incredible. Bring a pair of binoculars and you may just see a wedge-tail soaring as well.
Namadgi National Park has more than enough to quench your outdoorsy thirst.
Easy day
Mt Tennant, the one that looms over Tharwa with an obvious landslip on it, is a standalone peak offering brilliant views in all directions.
Some decent footwear is a good idea as the trail can be fairly rough in parts.
Start from the Namadgi Visitors Centre, then it’s 15km return including 700m elevation rise.
Sunrise to Sunset
If you like longer walks, drive to Corin Dam, then hike up the somewhat steep (!) Stockyard Spur to Mt Franklin Rd, turn South, head past Pryors Hut and then up Mt Gingera, and return.
The views out to the West over the Bimberi Nature Reserve are senstational, as well over the rest of the National Park. This also makes a good overnighter (just camp more than 1km from the summit).
Peak Bagger
It’ll be worth your while if you can manage it to do an overnighter to Bimberi Peak, a mountain that claims the not-to-be-scoffed-at height of 1913m.
If you drive out to the old Orroral Tracking Station site, it’s approximately 22km each way to the Peak along the Australian Alps Walking Track. This is serious alpine country you’ll be getting into, so make sure you’ve got tough enough gear, and the knowledge to use it.
The map I use is Rooftop’s Namadgi & South ACT Activities Map (1:50k). Despite some spelling mistakes this map is still the best way to get most of the information that you need into one portable source.
The best single point-of-call is the Namadgi Visitors Centre, just South of the township of Tharwa; it has all the info you need including maps, advice and even some basic gear.
They’re open every day and can be reached on 02 6207 2900.
Been through Namadgi? Tell us about it, or ask any questions you may have in the comments section below.
I started hiking as a kid, my father dragged me along on his walks. I started enjoying it at some stage and spent time hiking in Tasmania, the ACT and SE NSW.