The first thing most visitors to Canberra notice is Telstra Tower on Black Mountain. The Tower is one of Canberra’s most visited sites and you can get to it by car or bicycle (if you are very fit) or you can walk. Most people, thankfully for those who chose to walk, get there by car. This review is on the Summit Walk, which is, in my view, without doubt the best way to get to the summit. Ensure that you take some water with you. Continue reading “Black Mountain Summit Walk”
Black Mountain is probably the most visited (over 430,000 visitors per annum) of the three main lookouts in Canberra. The other two are Mount Ainslie (my favourite) and Red Hill lookouts. Given vegetation around the base of the Tower you will see nothing unless you pay and go up the tower. Continue reading “Black Mountain (Telstra) Tower”
Allow yourself about two hours (more if you want to sample the café in the gardens which I thoroughly recommend you do) to see these delightful and varied gardens. The National Botanic Gardens, run by the Government, specialises in Australian native plants and contains nearly 7,000 of some 18,000 identified species found in Australia, all set in Canberra’s bushland environment. Continue reading “Australian National Botanic Gardens”
I had lived in Canberra for some 14 years and the last place I would have thought of going for a walk, let alone a walk to see modern sculptures, would have been the grounds of the Australian National University. Continue reading “The Australian National University Sculpture Walk”
Leaving aside a stroll around Lake Burley Griffin, the Mt Ainslie Summit walk (sometimes referred to as the Kokoda Track after the famous WWII Kokoda Trail in neighbouring Papua New Guinea) is the most popular short walk in Canberra. You will find people along this track from pre-dawn till late evening. If you are up to it this is a must do walk. Continue reading “Walk Up Mt Ainslie”
This lookout on the top (approximately 840m above sea level) of Mount Ainslie is the best place for a stunning view of Canberra. Great at dawn or dusk but good any time of the day. It affords an excellent view from the Australian War Memorial, across Lake Burley Griffin and on to the Brindabella mountain ranges in the background. Continue reading “Mt Ainslie Lookout – Best View Of Canberra”
While the longest of the Letterbox walks on Green Mountain this is actually the easiest walk being pretty much flat – once you have managed the 10 minutes walk up the zig-zag road from the Red Lion via Bell’s Cottage to the start of the walk. The walk starts on your left just before you reach the Old Marine Barracks – you will know if you are on the right path as almost immediately you pass Elliot Obelisk just before entering the first of many tunnels on this walk. Fear not, none of the tunnels are long enough such that you can’t see the exit on entering them. Continue reading “Elliot’s Pass – Walk Around the Mountain”
In my review for Rupert’s Walk I recommend you do it and Cronk’s Letterbox walk in one hit – one out from, and the other back to, the Red Lion where both walks start – as both walks come together at the North East Cottage. Rupert’s path runs higher up Green Mountain than Cronk’s. Have a look at the map on my separate Green Mountain review. Continue reading “Cronk’s Path – Green Mountain – Take the Low Road”
I recommend you do this Letterbox walk and Cronk’s walk in one hit – one out from, and the other back to, the Red Lion where both walks start – as both walks come together at the North East Cottage. Rupert’s path runs higher up Green Mountain than Cronk’s. It doesn’t really matter which one you start with – I started with Rupert’s so this review and my separate review for Cronk’s walk are written assuming you do likewise. The walk out and back will take around two hours. Continue reading “Rupert Path – Green Mountain – Take the High Road”
This is probably the most popular* (though not the most interesting) of Ascension Island’s letterbox walks and takes you to the highest point of the island – the top of Green Mountain – at 2817ft (859m). Note that the peak is about 10-15 metres past Dew Pond and is marked by an old anchor chain (picture 4 below). Continue reading “Dew Pond Walk – Green Mountain – Into The Clouds”
The Rambling Wombat 