Saturday 9 May 2026: Trigs and Nature Reserves #1 – Goodwin, Harcourt, Percival, Rogers, Gungahlin trigs and Gungaderra, Mullangarri Nature Reserves * – L/E. Are you a list ticker? I am! Our Parks and Conservation Service list 66 trigs on public land in the ACT and 39 Nature Reserves in the Canberra Nature Park. Most are quite easily accessed. Over the next several months I will plan and lead a number of trips to these locations for our mutual list ticking enjoyment. I’ll even keep our records. Handsomely illuminated (digital) certificates will be issued at the end of the series 😂. Let’s explore the ‘backwoods’ of Canberra and its urban fringe together.
We start with some drive-by trig bagging in Belconnen, with quick visits to Percival, Harcourt, Rogers and Goodwin trigs. We return to our meeting point to bag Gungahlin trig, then walk through the Gungaderra and Mullangarri Grasslands Nature Reserves. Around 18km and 380vm climb. Some urban driving between hills. Book on the hike.
Saturday 16 May 2026: Trigs and Nature Reserves #2 – Narrabundah, Cooleman Hill, Arawang, Taylor, Oakey trigs and Cooleman Ridge, Mt Taylor, Oakey Hill Nature Reserves * – L/E. Are you a list ticker? I am! Our Parks and Conservation Service list 66 trigs on public land in the ACT and 39 Nature Reserves in the Canberra Nature Park. Most are quite easily accessed. Over the next several months I will plan and lead a number of trips to these locations for our mutual list ticking enjoyment. I’ll even keep our records. Handsomely illuminated (digital) certificates will be issued at the end of the series 😂. Let’s explore the ‘backwoods’ of Canberra and its urban fringe together.
We’ll do nearly a lap of Weston Creek. There’ll be great views to the ‘western edge’ of Canberra and the nearby ranges. From other vantage points there are urban and beyond views. We’ll bag Narrabundah trig, then walk south to the Cooleman Ridge NR for Cooleman and Arawang trigs. In the Mt Taylor NR we’ll summit the top and bag Taylor trig via the steep SW footpad. Exiting to the north we’ll cross under Hindmarsh Drive into Oakey Hill NR and bag Oakey trig. We’ll finish in Featherstone Gardens. Around 18km and 700vm climb. A short car shuttle required. Book on the hike.
Tuesday evening 19 May 2026: CBC Navigation Course session 5 – GPS *. CBC members book on the session.
Saturday 23 May 2026: CBC Navigation Course session 6 – GPS practical navigation exercise *. CBC members book on the training.
Saturday 23 May 2026: Trigs and Nature Reserves #3 – Quartz trig and Callum Brae, West Jerrabomberra Grasslands Nature Reserves * – M/E. Are you a list ticker? I am! Our Parks and Conservation Service list 66 trigs on public land in the ACT and 39 Nature Reserves in the Canberra Nature Park. Most are quite easily accessed. Over the next several months I will plan and lead a number of trips to these locations for our mutual list ticking enjoyment. I’ll even keep our records. Handsomely illuminated (digital) certificates will be issued at the end of the series 😂. Let’s explore the ‘backwoods’ of Canberra and its urban fringe together.
These two Nature Reserves are quite different. Callum Brae NR is part of one of the largest, best-connected and most diverse areas of critically endangered Yellow Box–Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland remaining in Australia and is a high-quality breeding and foraging habitat for woodland birds. West Jerrabomberra Grasslands NR provides an example of ‘treeless plains’ and grassland-to-woodland transition zones that were typical of much of the Canberra region before European settlement.
We’ll start and finish at the entrance to Callum Brae NR on Narrabundah Lane and wander through the two areas. Around 11km and 200vm climb.
Note that this hike is an extension of the Navigation Course #6 activity. So the first part of this walk will be a little slow as the students navigate us around their course. We’ll then walk the narrow right of way into West Jerra NR for a lap around the grasslands and a bag of Quartz trig. Book on the hike.
If you’re booked on the Navigation Course #6 activity and want to join in on this, book separately on this hike.
Saturday 30 May 2026: Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve and Trigs and Nature Reserves #4 – Old Joe trig and Goorooyarroo NR */NPA – M/M. A near-Winter stroll in Goorooyarro NR, visiting a few of the delightful sites and sights. From Wildbark, we’ll walk the Sky to Ground Track to Sammys Hill for views. Then generally East-ish down to cross the main S-N management road and a150vm off-track climb through the Buru Gate to Old Joe Hill for more views. It should be time for smoko then. Next we track North down and up to Gooroo Hill and down the border track. We briefly enter Mulligans Flat though the Bustard Gate, after checking out the Dungarvon site. Back into Gooroo via the Quoll Gate, it’s South on track to Inglewood, then off-track to the West and South to visit the Gungahlin Quartz Ridge geological site. SW on track gets us back for a coffee at Wildbark. There may be a fence or two to cross. A combined NPA/CBC hike, limit 6 from each club. Around 14km and 350vm climb makes this NPA grade 2/AB and CBC grade M/M. CBC – book on the trip. NPA – book on the trip.
This hike is also part of the Trigs and Nature Reserves series.
Sunday morning 31 May 2026: Help! I’ve lost my phone. How will I navigate my way back? – Practical Map and Compass Exercise #15 – S/E. Book on the training.
15-21 June 2026: Hospital – no walking.
Wednesday 24 June 2026: E-M Wednesday Walk #1 – Nil Desperandum (CBC sponsored) * – M/E.
**No bookings required for Wednesday Walks**
Leader: John Evans 0417436877 jevansact@gmail.com
MEETING PLACE AND TIME: Lanyon Marketplace carpark, up from Maccas at 8.30am. Shared transport cost $5 (assuming 4 per vehicle). Otherwise drive yourself to Greens picnic area at TNR by 9am.
BRING: Morning tea, lunch, water. Poles useful. Dress in layers for the forecast weather.
We did this hike this time last year. 3 attended as it was wet and snowing 😂. Let’s try again.
Starting from Greens picnic area at TNR, we’ll do an anticlockwise loop through Jedbinbilla to Nil Desperandum and surrounds. Anticlockwise gets the main climbs of the day over first. POIs include the Safe Haven rock wallaby enclosure, Nil Desperadum pise cottage (toilet), John Staunton’s Ashbrook site, swimming pool on Hurdle Creek, Camellia grove, eucalyptus distillery, old koala enclosure site, a cool bush footpad to a lookout to relieve tired fire trail feet, Man on a Horse tor, Tidbinbilla River. Around 13km and 475vm of climb positions this hike as CBC grade M/E, BBC grade M(8), NPAACT grade 2A.
Those doing their first Wednesday Walk, and those who are not members of CBC, BBC or NPA should contact the leader to discuss the level of difficulty of the walk
