Five new(ish) walking tracks for your next spring stroll
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Canberrans love a good walk, and these new(ish) additions will be sure to spice up your next spring stroll.
Add them to your active agenda, grab your best walking shoes and get going!
The Yankee Hat Walking Track
This new(ish) track recently re-opened after the 2020 Orroral bushfire, with some major upgrades to improve safety, accessibility and bushfire resilience.
Now featuring a 425-metre elevated steel boardwalk, a new viewing platform, a footbridge over Bogong Creek, updated interpretive signage, and improved picnic and parking facilities, start from the Yankee Hat carpark to wander through the Gudgenby Valley.
Make sure not to miss the ACT’s only publicly accessible Aboriginal rock art site, (believed to be more than 5,000 years old) and pack some snacks – the entire walk takes three hours return.
The Tidbinbilla Mindjagari Track
Adding 14km of trails to the Tidbinbilla Range between Fishing Gap and Johns Peak, this is one for experienced bushwalkers.
Considered one of the most difficult networks of trails in the ACT region, the Mindjagari Track network is roughly 26 km of management trails and walking tracks – and while it sounds hard, the benefit is you get access breathtaking views of the Brindabellas and the subalpine woodlands, wildflowers, and impressive rocky outcrops make it worth the effort.
And don’t worry, for anyone new to hiking or still developing their fitness skills, there are plenty of lower grade walking tracks throughout Tidbinbilla to explore.
The Ginninderry Conservation Corridor
Opened in May 2024, The Ginninderry Conservation Corridor has plenty to discover – including Canberra’s first swing bridges (which are 15m and 37m in length respectively).
Offering a range of distances to suit various fitness (and enthusiasm) levels, the new trails offer some fresh excitement for those with an adventurous spirit. Building upon the popular Strathnairn to Shepherds Lookout Walk – taking the total distance of walking trails to over 13km – it’ll be a while before you get bored.
Snowies Alpine Walk
Breathtaking views of high-country plains and mountain ranges – this is an incredible 56km, four-day walk on Monero Ngarigo Country in Kosciuszko National Park.
First opening in 2024, the Snowies Alpine Walk links Guthega, Charlotte Pass, Perisher and Bullocks Flat, offering you the chance to pass the iconic Blue Lake and wander through ancient snow gum forests and wildflower meadows.
You can choose to do any section of the track as a single-day walk or combine sections for a multi-day walking experience – and you even have the option to be guided by an expert. Who said there’s nothing to do in the Snowies during the warmer seasons?
Pialligo Redwood Forest
Okay, this one isn’t new, but it is one of the coolest ‘forest’ explorations you can do in Canberra – and it’s well worth a visit. Home to 3,000 majestic trees, it holds Australia’s largest stand of mature Redwood species and is a beautiful location to explore.
Pialligo Redwood Forest offers a short and easy 1 km loop trail that’s great for escaping back to nature – but it’s worth noting that neither bicycles nor vehicles are allowed in the forest, however, dogs on leads are permitted. Simply drive as if you were heading to Queanbeyan on Pialligo Avenue and follow the signs to the Pialligo Redwood Forest to get there.
