The Canberra Nature Park is actually thirty separate protected areas in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, ranging from bushland hills to lowland native grassland. Many of the areas have previously been cleared for grazing, but many are now returning to native bushland through revegetation and rehabilitation programs.
Canberra's inner hills Black Mountain, Mount Ainslie, Mount Majura, Mount Pleasant, Russell Hill, Red Hill, Mount Mugga, O'Connor Ridge, Bruce Ridge, Aranda Bushland, Mount Painter, The Pinnacle, Lyneham Ridge, Oakey Hill, Mount Taylor, Isaacs Ridge, Mount Stromlo, Mount Arawang, Neighbour Hill, Wanniassa Hill, and Narrabundah Hill are protected from development by the National Capital Plan and almost all are now part of the Canberra Nature Park system. These hills provide a scenic backdrop and natural setting for Canberra's urban areas, as originally set out in the Walter Burley Griffin Plan.
Most people in Canberra live within easy walking distance of a Canberra Nature Park area.
The areas are typically enclosed by simple wire fences, or by house fences. Gates are provided for people to walk or run in the parks; motorbikes are excluded. Some parks with mountains have reservoirs, as part of ACT Electricity and Water's supply network.
Park | Vegetation | Area (km²) | Park | Vegetation | Area (km²) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aranda Bushland | Forest | 1.06 | Black Mountain | Forest | 4.52 |
Bruce Ridge | Forest | 1.34 | Cooleman Ridge | Woodland | 1.89 |
Crace Grassland Reserve | Grassland | 1.21 | Dunlop Grassland Reserve | Grassland | 1.06 |
Farrer Ridge | Woodland | 1.78 | Goorooyarroo | Woodland | 7.01 |
Gossan Hill | Forest | 0.48 | Gungaderra Grassland Reserve | Grassland | 2.70 |
Isaacs Ridge Reserve | Forest/Woodland | 0.34 | Jerrabomberra Wetland Reserve | Wetland | 2.08 |
McQuoids Hill | Woodland | 0.56 | Mount Ainslie | Forest/woodland | |
Mount Majura | Woodland | Mount Mugga Mugga | Woodland | 1.05 | |
Mount Painter Reserve | Woodland | 0.86 | Mount Pleasant | Woodland | 0.50 |
Mount Taylor | Woodland | 2.93 | Mulanggari Grassland Reserve | Grassland | 1.17 |
Mulligans Flat Reserve | Woodland | 7.81 | O'Connor Ridge | Forest | 0.62 |
Oakey Hill Reserve | Woodland | 0.66 | Percival Hill Reserve | Forest | 0.63 |
Red Hill | Woodland | 2.87 | Rob Roy | Forest | 19.77 |
The Pinnacle Reserve | Woodland | 1.38 | Tuggeranong Hill | Woodland | 3.17 |
Urambi Hills | Woodland | 2.43 | Wanniassa Hills | Woodland | 2.27 |
Famous quotes containing the words nature and/or park:
“When Sir Joshua Reynolds died
All Nature was degraded;”
—William Blake (17571827)
“Borrow a child and get on welfare.
Borrow a child and stay in the house all day with the child,
or go to the public park with the child, and take the child
to the welfare office and cry and say your man left you and
be humble and wear your dress and your smile, and dont talk
back ...”
—Susan Griffin (b. 1943)