Tuesday, 21 October 2014

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: Hanging Rock, Ashbrook Fire Trail, Koala Enclosure, Peppermint Trail and The Sanctuary

General Information


Distance:  8.5 kilometers
Total climb:  about 110 meters
Time taken:  about 2 hours
Map:  Tidbinbilla 8627-2S, 1:25 000
Guide:  link
Start point distance by road from Canberra GPO:  49 kilometers
Start point map grid reference:  55H FA 72373 72783
Destination map grid reference:  loop walk
End point:  same as start


Route




http://maps.six.nsw.gov.au/

Description


This walk is a combination of several walking trails in the Tidbinbilla nature Reserve. I started at the Hanging Rock carpark and headed first along Ashbrook Creek towards Hanging Rock, a group of granite tors once used for shelter by local Aboriginal people.



Retracing my steps back to the carpark, I then walked up the Ashbrook fire trail. This follows the very pretty Ashbrook Creek west for a bit over one kilometer before turning north.



The fire trail runs through thick forest and eventually meets Mountain Creek, which I was able to cross without getting my feet wet thanks to some well-placed rocks.






Form Mountain Creek there is a final climb to the end of the Ashbrook fire trail at Mountain Creek Road. I turned right down Mountain Creek Road, all the time scanning the trees to my right for koalas in the koala enclosure. No luck this time. Reaching the Tidbinbilla ring road, I went into the koala enclosure and walked the 1.8 kilometer Peppermint Trail loop before entering the northern end of the Sanctuary.



Walking through the Sanctuary I eventually came to the main Sanctuary entrance and back onto the ring road which I followed to the left back to my car. This is a nice series of walks that allow you to see many of the attractions of this part of the Nature Reserve.

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