Canberra’s hidden secrets There’s more to Canberra than meets the eye. Canberra tour guide and local identity Tim the Yowie Man uncovers some gems that you may not know about that are accessible for visitors.
LAND OF THE GIANTS High in the Brindabella Ranges that hold up Canberra’s western horizon is Bendora Arboretum, a secret treasure trove of exotic trees. Dozens of species of trees were planted mid last century in order to discover which were best suited for timber production in Australia. The most eye-catching of these plantings is the big cone pine (Pinus coulteri) which produces the biggest (and heaviest) pine cones in the world. You can often find them on the ground, but be careful; these monster cones can grow as big as footballs and are fortified with sharp talons on the end of each scale. A visit to this special forest is a delight at any time of year. In summer it often feels a few degrees cooler, in autumn the larches turn a brilliant yellow and in winter occasional snow falls transform the hillside into a winter wonderland. Check it out: Bendora Arboretum is about a 60-minute drive (partly on a gravel road) from the city. Access is by a 1.5-kilometre walk along Chalet Road from a locked gate near its junction with Mount Franklin Road. Allow an hour or so to stroll among the towering pines and other exotic species. Free admission.
GRAVE WITH A VIEW
HIDDEN CANBERRA 1. Bushwalking, Gibraltar Rocks, Tidbinbilla
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Check it out: The grave is located along General Bridges Drive, Duntroon, just before the Mt Pleasant summit, also a great spot to soak up the views of Lake Burley Griffin, about a 10-minute drive from the city. Free admission.
A HOTSPOT FOR TWITCHERS The nation’s capital has a reputation as a spy hotspot. But not all espionage activity concerns matters of national security. At Jerrabomberra Wetlands you can spy on birdlife from five purpose-built timber bird hides which allow you to get up close to the birds without scaring them away. Wedged at the eastern end of Lake Burley Griffin between Kingston and Fyshwick, the wetlands, once part of an ancient floodplain, cover more than 200 hectares and are now of international significance. In the hides are posters of most of the 170 species of birds that have been recorded here, including some migratory species which fly from as far away as Japan and China. You might even spot a platypus too. Check it out: The main wetlands car park is on Dairy Flat Road, Fyshwick, a 10-minute drive from the city. The wetlands can also be accessed from the Lake Burley Griffin bike track circuit. The birds are most active around dawn and dusk. Free admission.
BOMB SHELTER Travel back to wartime Canberra and snoop around an historic air raid shelter. When Australia came under threat during the Second World War, Gallipoli veteran Harry Calthorpe was taking no risks. He not only installed blackout blinds and taped the windows of his Canberra home (to minimise injury from splintered glass), he also built a bomb shelter in his backyard. The shelter was recently restored and can be viewed when visiting Calthorpes’ House which is a now a museum showcasing life in Canberra in the early 1900s. Check it out: Calthorpes’ House, 24 Mugga Way, Red Hill. Open weekends 1pm–4pm. Admission charge.
Keen to explore more? Discover more about the city’s heritage through Canberra Tracks self-drive routes. There are six tracks: Ngunnawal Country, the Limestone Plains, Looking at Canberra, Cemeteries, Gungahlin and Belconnen. Go to canberratracks.act.gov.au or pick up a brochure at the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre at 330 Northbourne Avenue.
1. Bushwalking, Xanthorrhoea Loop, Tidbinbilla | 2. Calthorpes’ House
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HIDDEN CANBERRA
Near the top of Mt Pleasant is the final resting place of Major-General Sir William Throsby Bridges, the first Commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon. Bridges was killed at Gallipoli in 1915 and is the only Australian soldier from the First World War to have his identified body (the remains of an unknown Australian soldier are entombed at the Australian War Memorial) repatriated and buried on
Australian soil. Bridge’s grandiose grave was designed by Walter Burley Griffin (who co-designed Canberra with his wife Marion Mahony Griffin) and adjacent to the grave are two Aleppo pines, progeny of the famous Lone Pine from Gallipoli.