canberra.bike
There are OpenStreetMap updates for both Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve and Isaacs Ridge Nature Reserve. Unfortunately, no new paths come out of it. One route is now closed down to Mugga Lane as a result of new fencing along Old Quarry Road. Big trucks come labouring up this hill all day long. More about the changes below.
The ride starts at Deakin, on the northern end of Red Hill Nature Reserve and sweeps south and west to end at Stromlo Forest Park. The route strings together a number of Canberra Nature Park reserves.
The “South Canberra ridges” article can be found here.
Why not cycle from home? There is a Canberra Nature Park within 500m from home for 75% of Canberrans. CyclOSM helps you find a ride at your doorstep by highlighting all the bike paths.
Exploring Canberra Nature Park is easy with a smartphone. An app will help you find your way. You may use different apps for walking and cycling and that’s not surprising at all. In the car, you are likely to use something different again. So, what do we use and recommend for the walkers and hikers among us?
In 2019 the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (Environment) released the Canberra Nature Park Draft Reserve Management Plan. The Murrumbidgee corridor, the Molonglo River Reserve, the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and the Namadgi National Park are not part of Canberra Nature Park. The Canberra Nature Park reserves are ideal for recreational cycling.
The National Arboretum features a quirky central path and the trees are laid out on a grid in blocks. Two prominent hills dominate the landscape like camel humps. The larger of the two is Dairy Farmers Hill, and the smaller to the north is unnamed. The peak of Dairy Farmers Hill is about 100 m above the park entrance. If you like hills, the National Arboretum is for you.
In 1988 the National Horse Trail was rejuvenated and relaunched as the Bicentennial National Trail. The Bicentennial National Trail extends from Queensland to Victoria. A section of it passes through the ACT. It is not to be confused with the Canberra Centenary Trail which came later and is only in the ACT. The Bicentennial National Trail and the Canberra Centenary Trail alignments are at times in close proximity and cross. Both pass through The Pinnacle Nature Reserve in Hawker, Belconnen, but one on the north side and the other on the south side. This ride was predominately on the Bicentennial National Trail but a section was on the Canberra Centenary Trail.
We explored the Bicentennial National Trail in Belconnen by bike. We had a mountain bike and one touring bike with fat tyres. In the muddy conditions, the mountain bike is the better option. It was soggy and pays off the trail were slippery. Canberra does not get much rain though, so we must be grateful. We joined the Bicentennial National Trail at Hawker and rode through to the new suburb of Strathnairn in Belconnen’s far west. Many have never heard of Strathnairn. Strathnairn is part of the Ginninderry development that will one day extend into NSW.
Another important document for active travel in Canberra and urban planning, and another very long title. This post is an introduction to Planning for Active Travel in the ACT: Active Travel Infrastructure Interim Planning Guideline (ACT Government, January 2019). Because the title is so long it is often simply referred to it as PATACT.
The ACT urban planning documents often build on one another. This one is no exception. This document was released in January 2019, which may seem a long time after the release of the Building an Integrated Transport Network: Active Travel in 2015, and Light Rail Network –Delivering a modern transport system for a growing city (Light Rail Network), October 2015. The last two documents describe the ACT Government’s strategy for active travel as well as the light rail component of active travel. With PATACT the ACT Government describes what that means for non-road infrastructure and urban planning, in particular cycling.
