Yesterday I called into the tourist information office in C0huna only to find out that my planned drive for today – the Gunbower Island Forest Drive – was closed as the track was flooded in various places. Following some discussion with the very helpful lady in the tourist office we opted for a shorter drive less deep into the forest area, to the north of the regular drive and along roads which were, by this stage, officially open. In normal drier times there would be no water anywhere near the roads we took today at this time of year. As it was, we would still be driving along the edge of the wetlands which had come out to meet us as opposed to us having to drive further into the 26,400 hectare flood plain to encounter the wetlands!
Continue reading “Gunbower Island – Not the drive we had planned – Day 314”
Mt McDonald and the Cotter Catchment Lookout Walk
On a recent walk into the former Sherwood Homestead I had views of Mt McDonald in the distance – one such view depicted below. This reminded me that while I had walked part-way up the mountain, to the Cotter Catchment Lookout, I had not yet visited the top. To-day’s early spring walk would put that right and I would make a slight deviation on the return to re-visit the dam/catchment lookout. As it turned out, this was one of the best walks with the best views for the effort required that I have done in a while – highly recommended.
Continue reading “Mt McDonald and the Cotter Catchment Lookout Walk”
London Bridge Walk – via London Bridge Homestead
I have done this circular walk a number of times and prefer doing it in an anti-clockwise direction, contrary to the recommended (signposted) route. Don’t worry you won’t get lost and it’s a great walk in either direction, I just prefer to walk the longer, less steep, downhill section first-up with a shorter steeper finish.
Continue reading “London Bridge Walk – via London Bridge Homestead”
Sherwood Homestead (Former) Walk Via Blue Range Hut
Generally when people do this walk they do it in either spring or autumn. This lets them enjoy either the display of daffodils still growing on the site of the long abandoned Sherwood Homestead or the sight of a range of exotic deciduous trees as their leaves transform from green to an assortment of browns, yellows and reds before finally drifting to the ground in the former homestead gardens.
Not being one to follow the crowd I visited in the winter. Continue reading “Sherwood Homestead (Former) Walk Via Blue Range Hut”
Camel’s Hump Walk – Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
The Camel’s Hump walk is the longest and overall the hardest (though the Nils Desperandum walk , for instance, has harder sections) of the marked walks within Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. There are two suggested ways of getting there with one departing from the Visitors Centre (19kms return) and the other leaving from the Mountain Creek car park (11.6kms return). Both walks are classified as hard with a recommended duration of 8hrs and 6hrs respectively. Continue reading “Camel’s Hump Walk – Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve”
Weston Park – Kangaroos in the City
Located on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin, this is one of my favourite parks in Canberra, if not my favourite. Most of the time I just enjoy the 40 hectare park as I cycle through it while riding around lake though sometimes I will specifically go here for a walk, more so now that dogs (on leashes) are permitted. Continue reading “Weston Park – Kangaroos in the City”
The Settlers Track – Namadgi
In addition to wonderful vistas, which in themselves provide ample justification for doing this walk, there are a number of buildings and other things of historical interest along this Bobeyan Valley walk making it one of my favourite walks in Namadgi National Park. Continue reading “The Settlers Track – Namadgi”
Commonwealth Park – Go Promenade!
Why don’t people promenade any more?
Every time I visit Commonwealth Park I am somewhat taken aback by the paucity of people out enjoying this beautiful park. I often wonder (and I have been here 16 years), as do visitors, where do Canberrans go at weekends. Why are they not out enjoying the delights of this great city? Their loss is the visitor’s gain. Continue reading “Commonwealth Park – Go Promenade!”
The Rambling Wombat 