Canberra and ACT: Bush capital

Canberra is more than just our National Capital. It's also our only bush capital: a city surrounded by native bush, including the wild and rugged peaks of the snowy mountains wilderness. All this wild back country on the city's doorstep means there´s some great opportunities to jump in your four-wheel drive and get off-road in the national parks and state forests that lie beyond the manicured city suburbs.

The most popular places for four-wheel driving are Namadgi and Brindabella National Parks and while you can explore the parks on your own, we joined Capital 4WD Tours on a half-day 4WD trip along the back roads and trails in the Brindabella Mountains and Namadgi Ranges.

Namadgi is the Aboriginal word for the rugged mountains southwest of Canberra, and the park is 105,900 hectares, making up more than half of the Australian Capital Territory. Bimberi Peak (1911m) is the park's highest feature and is only 318 metres lower then Mt. Kosciuszko and during winter snowfalls are common.

We had timed our trip to coincide with Floriade, the annual spring festival when more than 1.5 million bulbs and annuals burst into flower in Commonwealth Park, with the plan being a day in the gardens and day in the bush. What we didn't expect was to go from spring blooms to sliding across snow and ice all in the same weekend ? but that's Canberra for you!

From the southern suburbs we followed Cotter Road, past the still bare remains of the pine forests that once covered the outlying hills that were devastated by the 2003 bushfires, and on to Brindabella Road and into the national park of the same name. The city had been deluged by much-needed rain the day before, and it wasn't long before we were negotiating the first of several creek crossings, swollen by the unseasonable downpour.

It is illegal to drive on any road that has been closed, but unfortunately for us it seems someone, most likely trail bike riders according to tour operator Geoff Favelle, had removed the road closed sign that was strung across the track. Before we knew it, we were sliding sideways down a steep, very muddy hill, the only way out was to connect the winch to a nearby tree and pull ourselves straight and tenderly reverse down the slope. 40 minutes and a cup of billy tea later, we scraped the six-inch rim of sticky mud from our boots, replaced the road closed sign that had been thrown into the undergrowth and decided on a new track and plan for the day.

As we skirted the edge of Namadgi National Park and headed up to the summit of Mt Coree, with the promise of spectacular 360-degree views, snow began to fall, transforming the bush into a fantastical winter wonderland. The higher we climbed, the more snow and ice clung to the bare burnt branches, silencing everyone in the vehicle with the awe-inspiring delicate beauty around us. Kinda like driving in a giant souvenir snow-dome.

By the time we reached the summit, the weather had set in, with visibility beyond the wind-swept summit zero. The intricate horizontal icicles on the communication tower, and the stark snow and ice sculptures that transformed the trees into what looked like gigantic pieces of white coral, more than made up for the lack of view.

Stomachs rumbling, we headed back down the trail, meeting up with the Gentle Annie Trail (not so gentle, think roller coaster dips and rises) that took us down to a deserted campground beside the Goodradigbee River, where we tucked into fresh chicken and salad rolls and more billy tea, before meeting up again with the Brindabella Road to take us back into the city.

About the parks

The north-west section of Namadgi National Park lies just to the south of Canberra's outlying suburbs. To the south-west, the park joins Kosciuszko National Park and the Bimberi and Scabby Range nature reserves with Brindabella National Park on the north-eastern border.

The central Namadgi ranges, with their bold outcrops of granite, are of great importance to Aboriginal people, who have lived and roamed this country for more than 21,000 years, harvesting the Bogong Moths and getting together in great tribal gatherings for annual Bogong Moth feasts.

There is a network of public roads within the parks that pass through the majestic mountain country. The unsealed roads are narrow and can be slippery when wet or frosty. Much of Namadgi and Brindabella´s beauty, however, lies beyond the main roads and picnic areas. There are 170km of marked walking trails in Namadgi, but you will need to be well-prepared if you are going to walk into the more remote areas. Before you depart, make sure you sign one of the bushwalking registers located at the visitor centre and elsewhere in the park. The main entrance and visitors centre are located on Naas Rd. Follow the main highway south onto Tharwa Drive at Tuggeranong. Corrin Dam can be accessed via Corrin Dam Road off Tidbinbilla Rd. Brindabella National Park can be accessed off the Brindabella Road and can only be reached by 4WD.

Four-wheel drives are generally restricted to public access roads in Namadgi, however, there are several roads particularly suited to four-wheel driving in the northern end of the park. These roads are the Mt Franklin Road as far as the Ginnini gate access road to Bendora Dam, Two Sticks Road which travels across the top of the Brindabella Ranges to Mt Coree, Old Mill Road and Warks Rd. During periods of Total Fire Ban and after heavy snowfalls in winter, road closures are common.

Article and images by Lee Atkinson, October 2005.

All information was correct at the time of writing but may change without notice.