Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is one of the ACT's most popular tourist attractions outside metropolitan Canberra.
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve borders Namadgi National Park in the south east of the ACT and covers an area of approximately 6,000 hectares. Tidbinbilla was first set aside as a wildlife sanctuary in 1936 and officially gazetted as a nature reserve in 1971.
The reserve comprises a large valley floor, the Tidbinbilla mountain range and the Gibraltar range. Together, Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve form the northern part of the Australian Alps. In 2008, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and the adjacent educational facility, Birrigai Outdoor School were merged to form one entity, Tidbinbilla.
Enjoying Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Tidbinbilla visitor centre
Tidbinbilla visitor centre
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is an ideal destination for families and school groups. Activities available at the reserve include:
- Scenic driving through the reserve including car access to a lookout that provides panoramic views of the Tidbinbilla Valley
- Picnicking at one of several picnic spots
- Bushwalks on formed walking trails ranging from easy strolls to challenging day trips
- Bike riding on sealed roads and fire trails
- Ranger guided activities on every weekend, some week days and during school holidays.
Tiddbinbilla also has the Nature Discovery Playground where children can pump water like a pioneer, ride a flying fox and become part of a large sun dial.
The newest attraction is the Sanctuary at Tidbinbilla. Wheelchair and stroller friendly pathways link a series of exhibits that encourage visitors to experience nature, encounter wildlife and explore how plants and animals and their habitats are interconnected.
In the wetlands you can get a 'duck's-eye-view' or stroll along the boardwalk. In the bushland, spot the wallaroos, parrots and meat ants. See how humans have shaped nature with fire and introduced animals, peer into a functioning vet centre and take on an Aboriginal understanding of the land.
Volunteer guides as well as parks staff are all involved in helping visitors to get the most out of their Tidbinbilla experience.
Tidbinbilla's Visitor Centre provides a great introduction to the reserve. There are live animal and other displays to explore and staff available to help you get the best experience while visiting the reserve.
People in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Birrigai Rock Shelter - Ranger explaining the
site's cultural significance Photo: A. Tatnell
Birrigai Rock Shelter
Photo: A. Tatnell
The mountains that surround Tidbinbilla are a place of spiritual significance to Aboriginal people. The name Tidbinbilla is derived from the Aboriginal word Jedbinbilla – a place where boys become men.
Tidbinbilla is recognised as a highly significant Aboriginal place with the highest density of artefacts found in the ACT. Important sites in the Reserve include:
- Birrigai Rock Shelter – the oldest known Aboriginal site in the ACT region which contains evidence of occupation dating back to the last ice-age 21,000 years ago
- Bogong Rocks – a Bogong moth resting site, this shelter contains evidence that the moth was an important seasonal food source for Aboriginal people
- Tidbinbilla Mountain – it is believed this site was used for initiation ceremonies and is sacred to the local Aboriginal people
Europeans settled the valley in the mid 1800s and the remains of early rural structures and equipment can be visited along several walking trails within the reserve. Two notable examples of European cultural heritage are the remnants of Nil Desperandum and Rock Valley Homesteads. These pise, or rammed earth, structures were built in the 1890s and remained intact until the January 2003 bushfires. Rock Valley has been partially restored and Nil Desperandum has been fully restored.
Nature in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Despite being a small reserve, Tidbinbilla contains an abundant collection of plants and animals.
Brush-tail Rock Wallaby on a Rock at Tidbinbilla
Photo: A.Tatnell
Brush-tail Rock-wallaby
Photo: A.Tatnell
There are 14 different habitat types in the reserve including:
- open grasslands
- dry and wet forests
- wetlands, and
- sub-alpine slopes
Because of the diversity of habitats, Tidbinbilla is home to a wide range of native wildlife.
Visitors can often see eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, swamp wallabies, cockatoos and the occasional emu which were introduced to the area. Regular spotlight surveys have shown that the brush-tail possum, ring-tail possum and greater glider have survived the January 2003 bushfires.
Tidbinbilla also plays an important role in wildlife conservation, in particular through its captive breeding programs for the endangered northern corroboree frog Pseudophryne pengilleyi and brush-tailed rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata.
Caring for Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve: leave no trace
Australia's Alps region is fragile and needs care and protection to survive.
When visiting Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve:
- leave your pets at home – they disturb native animals and other park users
- take your rubbish home – no bins are provided
- stay on track – even if it's muddy or dusty, don't widen tracks. Motorised vehicles are not permitted beyond public roads and car parks
- leave animals, plants, rocks and wood where you find them – each has a place in the delicate balance of nature
- use a fuel stove – they are quicker, cleaner and better for the bush. Fires are permitted only in fireplaces provided at campgrounds and picnic areas
- got to go? – use a toilet or take a walk at least 100 paces from water and campsites. Dig 15 cm with a trowel, then cover waste
Discover more about minimal impact recreation and how to leave no trace in the Caring for the Alps section of this site.
More information
For more information about Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve:
- Telephone - Canberra Connect 13 22 81
- Telephone - Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre (02) 6205 1233
- Visit - ACT Territory and Municipal Services - Parks, Conservation and Lands - Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve web page , or
- Go to the Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre, Paddy's River Rd, Tharwa ACT
Park address/contacts
(02) 6205 1233
Longitude: 148° 54' E
Key
Links to another web site
Opens a pop-up