Tidbinbilla covers 5400 hectares of an area with a large valley floor, Gibraltar Range and the Tidbinbilla mountain range north-east of Namadgi National Park only a short drive from Canberra. Together with the Namadgi National Park and Kosciuszko National Park in the neighbouring New South Wales it forms the northern part of Australian Alps. It is also known for the rare corroboree frog and bogong moth. The reserve was badly damaged in the 2003 Canberra bushfires, but things are back to normal now. Here is some information on the park, and in the end of the page is an interactive map of the area.
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Photo: Australian Capital Tourism
Alpine Animals and 2003 Canberra Bushfires A small part of it was set aside in 1936 as a public reserve. In 1939 a koala enclosure was built, and the area of reserve has been since extended twice. The first wildlife displays were created in 1969 and the park was officially gazetted in 1971. Tidbinbilla has since been an important animal refugee where captive breeding programs are run for endangered species. The devastating Canberra bushfires (2003) in destroyed 99% of the park when only one koala, six rock wallabies, five protoroos, four freckled ducks and nine black swans survived the fire. The wildlife is back now and the bushwalking tracks and facilities are open as before.
Geology and Geological History Between 500 and 450 million years ago, the area was covered by sea. The sediments that laid on the sea bottom formed sedimentary rocks that were later uplifted above the sea level. Granitic magma intruded to the sedimentary rocks and quartz filled the cracks and joints formed by cooling. About 30 million years ago the sedimentary rocks had been eroded and the stronger granite was exposed, which after further weathering have formed the rocks we can see in Tidbinbilla today.
Bogong Moth - Aboriginal Food Source Aboriginal people moved into the area about 21,000 years ago and today there is evidence of their life in the cold alpine country in Birrigai Rock Shelter, Tidbinbilla Mountain and Bogong Cave. Bogong Moths that rest in the Bogong Moth Cave were an important seasonal Aboriginal food source, and the Birrigai Rock Shelter which can be visited on the Birrigai Time Trail is the oldest known Aboriginal site in the Australian Capital Territory. Europeans were living here during the last century and left behind two historical buildings - Nil Desperandum and Rock Valley Homestead, both badly damaged in the 2003 Canberra bushfires.
Photo: Australian Capital Tourism
Snow Gum Forests and Alpine Vegetation There are various types of Alpine vegetation within the reserve. The subalpine vegetation on the altitudes between 1220 and 1600m includes snow gum and various scrubs such as Acacias and Leptospermum species, while the valley floor contains different Eucalypt species such as black sallee and candlebark.
Corroboree Frog and other Alpine Animals Animals you are likely to see include eastern grey kangaroos, swamp wallabies, red-necked wallabies and emus. Brushtail possums, ringtail possums and greater gliders also survived the Canberra bushfires. The endangered Northern Corroboree Frog and Brush-tailed rock wallabies are bred in captivity. The Brush-tailed Rock Wallabies have not been seen in the wild since 1959. The northern corroboree frog is under threat of extinction and it is endemic to Tidbinbilla and in the neighbouring Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales.
Bushwalking Tracks and Where to Stay There is plenty to do in Tidbinbilla today: families come here to picnic or barbeque, go for a bike ride or a scenic drive, have fun at the Nature Discovery Playground or explore the Visitor Centre displays. There are ranger guided activities, and marked walking tracks for bushwalkers. The shortest tracks are Hanging Rock Trail (500m, 15min, Aboriginal rock shelter), Turkey Hill Geology Trail (500m, 15min; geological features), Koala Path (700m, 30min; koalas, echidnas), Peppermint Track (1.8km, 1hr; peppermint and ribbon gums), Wetlands Loop and Black Flats Dam (1.8km, 1hr, waterbirds, frogs, reptiles and platypus), Church Rock Heritage Loop (2.5km, 45min; 19th century history), Xanthorrohoea Loop Trail (2.5km, 1hr; grass trees), and Birrigai Time Trail (3km, 1hr; Aboriginal rock shelter).
The longer and more challenging bushwalks often across steep terrain, are Devils Gap Trail (6km, 2hrs; dry forest), Gibraltar Trail (5.5km, 2hrs; massive granite rocks), Fishing Gap Trail (7.7km, 3hrs; wet fern gullies and giant eucalypts), and Camel Back Trail (12.5km, 6hrs; alpine vegetation such as snow gums. The Reserve is only open between 9am and 6pm (8pm during daylight savings) and camping in the park is not allowed. The best place to stay is the close-by Canberra.
Here's a map of Tidbinbilla - you can double-click anywhere on the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth, click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
NOTE: This website is written in British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all correct in the language used in Australia.
