Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog

Monday 20 April 2026: Mt Tennent … yet again * – L/M. Last week one geocache eluded me, but I now have a hint from the cache owner. It’s GC9NRQ8, down off the side of the new(-ish) track that parallels the Mt Tennent FT. It’s at the top of a granite slab that drops away, but we will again defy death 😁. Come and join me if you would like some exercise. Around 14km and 800vm climb.

Summary

From Garmin Connect (recorded on Garmin H1i Plus handheld) – Distance: 14.3km | Climb: 845vm | Time: 4:22 moving + 1:22 of stops = 5:44 | Grading: L/M; M(11).

Photographs

View photographs here.

gpx file

Download the gpx file here.

Track Map

Here’s where I went:

Trip Report

I was last up Mt Tennent on 11 Apr 26.

Good pace, poor company today. Just moi. 3 other solo hikers on the hill.

The purpose of today’s trip was to find and log geocache GC9NRQ8. I missed it on 11 Apr 26. The cache owner had assured me that I had been very close and that death was not required. Mission accomplished!

The leg to the track junction was 4.7km in 1:56. From the junction to Mt Tennent (including the foray to find the cache) was 2.5km in 1:23. The return leg (via the old Tennent link track) was 7.2km in 2:02.

The Secrets of Mt Tennent

The track and features

Many Kenberans know Mt Tennent. It rises above Tharwa and the Namadgi Visitors Centre to 1384m ASL. You’ll find sweaty hikers, lithe track runners and ordinary rubber-neckers walking it. It’s a great training hill for multi-day pack walks (close to town) so you’ll see walkers toiling up and down with packs full of water.

Tennant’s treasure. John Tennant was an Irish-born bushranger who was active around the Canberra district from 1826 to 1828. Mount Tennent is named after him as it was on the slopes of this steep mountain behind the village of Tharwa where he would hide.

John Gale in his book “Canberra, its history and legends” described Tennant in romantic terms stating: Tennant descending from his look-out (on Mount Tennent) would bail up a bullock dray – but only when his larder or wardrobe needed replenishing – terrorising the driver by presenting fire-arms and abstracting from the loading whatsoever he needed just then and order the man in charge of the team to drive on again. He never was known to use unnecessary violence or to wantonly destroy valuable cargo for what he had no need. Where Tennant stored his booty… was never discovered, not withstanding frequent and … exhaustive searches to this end. The mountain had numerous caves and mazes well adapted… many never explored.

The Namadgi Visitors Centre is the northern terminus of the Australian Alps Walking Track (AAWT), a 640km jaunt across the roof of Australia. A 24/7 toilet and drinking water is available.

Take time to visit the features in the Woodland Walk area – Fallen Leaves sculpture, Gudgenby in a box, the Mouat Tree, the scar tree.

Around 2km into the hike and 170vm climb is Cypress Pine Lookout. A seat with nice views.

There are a couple of bridges just above it.

The track climbs steeply from here, another 300vm to a track junction.

There’s a major stone staircase which is ablaze with colour in the Spring.

A couple of hundred metres further up is a great open view point.

The next POI is a Map of Australia rock.

Around this area and in the lower parts of the track you’ll see xenoliths (Ancient Greek: ‘foreign rock’): A term given to a rock that is embedded within another type of rock. As magma travels along older rocks it tears off bits and pieces trapping them in the magma. See geocache GC9WKKA Tennent Features.

The AAWT continues to the west at the AAWT and Mt Tennent track junction.

The new-ish Mt Tennent Track parallels the old link track and the Mt Tennent Fire Trail. There are great views down to the East. There are 2 prominent viewing points, each with a geocache below.

I think this is the third time I’ve attempted to find and log geocache GC9NRQ8 Tennent Track II – 2. I usually have the geocaching morals of an ally cat, organising hikes for muggles to find caches for me. The previous attempt at this cache on 11 Apr 26 had us withing 4 metres of the cache, but also facing imminent death if we slipped further down a granite slab.

So I contacted the cache owner, who gave me another little clue and assured me that death was not necessary 😁.

Cache logged and climbed back up to the track. Texted relieved dear wife.

The cache is around 40m below the second view point.

Mt Tennent top has a fire tower.

And it has wonderful views, particularly to the west.

Here’s a vid (no sound):

You can get a bit of a loop return by exiting down the Mt Tennent Fire Trail. Pretty horrible until the route exits from the ft via a footpad onto the Link Track near the Tongs sheepyard site.

The Link Track is quite pleasant, bringing you in via the AAWT and old Tennent link track junction to the AAWT and Mt Tennent track junction. Then, like life, it’s all downhill to the NVC.

The AllTrails map is here, where you can pan and zoom.

Party

1 walker – moi.

Power to the top

Ever noticed these signs on the Mt Tennent Fire Trail?

This is what is under the road!

The Tennent Scar

Around 2012 it was very wet and there was a land slip down a drainage line on the NE side of Mt Tennent. Very raw when new.

It was a stiff climb and I wouldn’t be capable of doing it now.

Cracks in the ground further up.

There’s some trip reports and pics at 1 May 12, 19 May 12, 17 May 16, 24 May 16, 10 Oct 16, 21 Jun17, 16 Apr 19.

Geocaching

Geocaching can add a bit of spice to a hike. There are quite a few in the Mt Tennent area.