Saturday 28 December 2013

Canberra Centenary Trail - Section 6

Along with many other activities and permanent additions to Canberra, 2013 saw the creation of the Canberra Centenary Trail. This trail has been designed for walkers and cyclists. It is some 140km trail which takes you urban and nearby rural environments. The trail is broken into seven stages for walkers and 3 for cyclists although you can easily break some of the stages into shorter walks.

Trevor and I decided to tackle Section 6, the section from Stromlo Forest Park to the Tuggeranong Town Centre as this section is close to home, actually crossing our street only a few hundred metres from our house.

We picked 27 December 2013 for our walk. The weather was forecast to be clear and warm with the temperature expected to reach 30.

We left home just after 9am and headed off to the carpark in Stromlo Forest Park adjacent to the 2003 Bushfire Memorial.

When Trevor got his pack out of the car he noticed that it was wet. He was not sure why. Later he determined that the cap on his water bladder had leaked and that he probably had lost about half of his water. Not good on a hot day. If the water problem had been solved earlier we could have topped up the water. By the time the problem was solved Trevor had no water left and we had no way of supplementing it.

Leaving from the car park we headed towards Duffy. Crossing the Cotter Road we headed along Eucumbene Drive, passing the very familiar houses along that street. The views over the Canberra urban area from the vantage point on the western side of the road never disappoint.

Trevor heading up the track along Eucumbene Drive

View from Eucumbene Drive
 Narrabundah Hill, on the western side of Eucumbene Drive, was devastated by the fires in early 2003. The pine plantations, which were a feature of the hillside, were destroyed. They have been replaced by other trees and these are now beginning to look like a forest.

Trees on Narrabundah Hill
The Canberra Centenary Trail is marked by guide posts. Here is an example near the Eucumbene Drive-Hindmarsh Drive intersection.






Crossing Hindmarsh Drive the trail meandered through an open grassy area before picking up a trail alongside Kathner Street in Chapman. This trail took us up onto Cooleman Ridge.







The trail wandered over the ridge. I was a little disappointed that it did not follow the track along the western side of the ridge as I feel that the views across the rangers are superior to views across the urban areas of the city. Still, we did cross the ridge a number of times so got bits of the ranges to the west as well as the city to the east.

We took our first break on Cooleman Ridge. Along with our water we had also taken coffee and hot water for tea. The first break was coffee and perked us up.

Trevor enjoying a cuppa
The trail headed over to the western side of the ridge and I came across a storyboard which named each of the peaks which were visible from the point. A number of the peaks I had already climbed. Others are on my to do list.

Looking at the ranges to the west
While the trail has just been completed much of it is rough and care is required to ensure that you do not slip or trip.


Cooleman Ridge is strewn with boulders and large areas of rocks

On the eastern side of Cooleman Ridge again with views across to Black Mountain and its tower
On reaching Mt Arrawang, walkers were directed down the stepped path to the Stanhope Highway and a clockwise circuit of the mound. The signs direct walkers down on to Namatjira Drive however if you ignore that sign, as we did, there is another sign indicating that you can continue following the fire trail around the base of Mt Arrawang. The views, and walking conditions too, from the fire trail are far superior to lower route. There was no contest.

When we reached the bridge across the drain to the summit track we turned left of the trail and headed through the horse paddock and then down to Kambah Pool Road. Crossing the road we walked along the path which runs on the western side of the Kambah houses, crossing Barritt and heading down towards Kambah Pool. This was one of the few places where the trail was indistinct.

We took another break in the shade of some trees just before we reached the Murrumbidgee Country Club. The flies were a nuisance and we were glad of our fly nets. The odd fly still managed to attempt to become human food.

The Murrumbidgee County Club is a green oasis in an otherwise dry landscape
Passing alongside the Murrumbidgee Country Club we observed quite a few people out playing golf.

The views from the narrow path alongside the Kambah Pool Road took in both the western ranges as well as the rural properties and the odd hill. With the exception of the golf course, the countryside was looking very dry. The grass is quite long and an obvious fire hazard.





It was quite a trudge along the Kambah Pool Road and I was pleased to finally reach the entrance to the Kambah Pool Reserve.





We headed down towards the swimming area looking for somewhere is sit down and have our lunch. We didn't find any tables but there was a bench and we took advantage of it to sit down and have a break.

It is quite a climb down to the river level and we watched a number of people trudging up and down the path. Most of the visitors seemed to be fisher persons.

One of the many fishermen leaving Kambah Pool
 The one good feature of our visit to the Kambah Pool Reserve was the toilet. Definitely a bonus!

After lunch we headed along the Murrumbidgee River towards the Tuggeranong Town Centre. The track had been designed to have relatively gentle gradients and this meant that it is mostly away from the river. When Michael and I had done the Red Rocks Gorge walk back in 2012 we had tracked fairly close to the river with reasonably constant views of the water and excellent views of the Red Rocks area. The Centenary Trail was disappointing as it does not allow a good view of the most startling of the gorge features. When I get a chance I'll go back and do the walk along the gorge proper to highlight the differences.

On the left hand side, in the middle, is a heap of dead trees that have collected on the riverbank


There was very little waterflow in the river although we had had some recent rain.

Christmas Bush in flower





When we drove through Cann Valley last weekend we noticed all the Christmas Bush coming in out in flower. On our return trip it was even more evident. There was quite a lot of this bush in flower along the Murrumbidgee corridor. Along with the Christmas Bush there was an array of plants in flower. They were a pleasant interlude in an increasingly hot day.

About this time Trevor discovered that he was completely out of water. I shared my remaining water with him but he exhausted that supply before reaching our destination.

Views of the river were limited and mostly obscured by vegetation. There were a number of spots where we could see the water and the walls of the gorge although few offered reasonable points for photographs.


Yes, there is white water in the centre of this photo

The rocks in the centre of this photo are an outstanding feature of this section of the gorge. A pity that we never had a good view of them

From time to time we caught glimpses of our destination, the Tuggeranong Town Centre. It always seemed to be off in the distance.

At one point, on a wide sweeping bend of the river, a huge beach of sand was visible.





The trail meandered between the river and the back of the town centre. It would be possible to cut up onto Athlon Drive and save a couple of ks from the walk however we continued to follow the set trail. This took us along the original boundary fence that was erected between 1867 and 1875 between the two large runs that occupied much of the area, namely the Lanyon and Yarralumla properties.





Finally we arrived at the town centre and were able to rehydrate and grab a refreshing coffee before getting a bus home and then going back to Stromlo Forest Park to collect Trevor's car.

All up we had walked 22kms with 430m elevation gain and 441m loss. The temperature had reached 30.

While we will probably tackle the other 6 stages of the full Canberra Centenary Trail I don't anticipate repeating this section. There are better tracks with far better views in the area covered by Section 6. I suspect that the route has been compromised by the need to cater for bikes rather than just walkers. Like many challenges, it is worth tackling at least once and then adding your own variations to subsequent hikes.

Canberra’s Centenary Trail will showcase the true ‘Bush Capital’, taking you on an exploration of the national capital’s natural areas and iconic landmarks.
The 140 kilometre self‑guided trail takes walkers and cyclists on a journey through urban and nearby rural environments. It passes by well‑known locations and hidden treasures and through the urban grandeur of the Parliamentary Zone as well as the quiet beauty of Canberra’s nature reserves.
The trail will have a symbolic start and stop point within the Parliamentary Zone and loop around the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through locations including ANZAC Parade and the Australian War Memorial, Lake Burley Griffin, the National Arboretum, Stromlo Forest Park and Mulligans Flat Sanctuary. The well planned landscape of Canberra's city will be on show from Black Mountain, Mount Majura and Dairy Farmers Hill lookouts as well as from other high points along the trail.
You can join or leave the trail at many locations and complete as little or as much of the trail as you like. The trail is divided into daily legs, spaced to allow walkers and cyclists a full day of sightseeing. Completing the full trail loop around the ACT will take an average of seven days for walkers and three days for cyclists.
- See more at: http://www.canberra100.com.au/programs/centenary-trail/#sthash.xAxIwXKa.dpuf
Canberra’s Centenary Trail will showcase the true ‘Bush Capital’, taking you on an exploration of the national capital’s natural areas and iconic landmarks.
The 140 kilometre self‑guided trail takes walkers and cyclists on a journey through urban and nearby rural environments. It passes by well‑known locations and hidden treasures and through the urban grandeur of the Parliamentary Zone as well as the quiet beauty of Canberra’s nature reserves.
The trail will have a symbolic start and stop point within the Parliamentary Zone and loop around the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through locations including ANZAC Parade and the Australian War Memorial, Lake Burley Griffin, the National Arboretum, Stromlo Forest Park and Mulligans Flat Sanctuary. The well planned landscape of Canberra's city will be on show from Black Mountain, Mount Majura and Dairy Farmers Hill lookouts as well as from other high points along the trail.
You can join or leave the trail at many locations and complete as little or as much of the trail as you like. The trail is divided into daily legs, spaced to allow walkers and cyclists a full day of sightseeing. Completing the full trail loop around the ACT will take an average of seven days for walkers and three days for cyclists.
- See more at: http://www.canberra100.com.au/programs/centenary-trail/#sthash.xAxIwXKa.dpuf
Canberra’s Centenary Trail will showcase the true ‘Bush Capital’, taking you on an exploration of the national capital’s natural areas and iconic landmarks.
The 140 kilometre self‑guided trail takes walkers and cyclists on a journey through urban and nearby rural environments. It passes by well‑known locations and hidden treasures and through the urban grandeur of the Parliamentary Zone as well as the quiet beauty of Canberra’s nature reserves.
The trail will have a symbolic start and stop point within the Parliamentary Zone and loop around the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through locations including ANZAC Parade and the Australian War Memorial, Lake Burley Griffin, the National Arboretum, Stromlo Forest Park and Mulligans Flat Sanctuary. The well planned landscape of Canberra's city will be on show from Black Mountain, Mount Majura and Dairy Farmers Hill lookouts as well as from other high points along the trail.
You can join or leave the trail at many locations and complete as little or as much of the trail as you like. The trail is divided into daily legs, spaced to allow walkers and cyclists a full day of sightseeing. Completing the full trail loop around the ACT will take an average of seven days for walkers and three days for cyclists.
- See more at: http://www.canberra100.com.au/programs/centenary-t
Canberra’s Centenary Trail will showcase the true ‘Bush Capital’, taking you on an exploration of the national capital’s natural areas and iconic landmarks.
The 140 kilometre self‑guided trail takes walkers and cyclists on a journey through urban and nearby rural environments. It passes by well‑known locations and hidden treasures and through the urban grandeur of the Parliamentary Zone as well as the quiet beauty of Canberra’s nature reserves.
The trail will have a symbolic start and stop point within the Parliamentary Zone and loop around the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) through locations including ANZAC Parade and the Australian War Memorial, Lake Burley Griffin, the National Arboretum, Stromlo Forest Park and Mulligans Flat Sanctuary. The well planned landscape of Canberra's city will be on show from Black Mountain, Mount Majura and Dairy Farmers Hill lookouts as well as from other high points along the trail.
You can join or leave the trail at many locations and complete as little or as much of the trail as you like. The trail is divided into daily legs, spaced to allow walkers and cyclists a full day of sightseeing. Completing the full trail loop around the ACT will take an average of seven days for walkers and three days for cyclists.
- See more at: http://www.canberra100.com.au/programs/centenary-trail/#sthash.xAxIwXKa.dpuf

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