Walks

Published on March 3rd, 2017 | by Daniel Boyle

3

Canberra Walks – Cooleman Trig and Mt Arawang

The Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve can be found at the back of Weston Creek, with the ability to combine walks there along with Mt Arawang.

I actually did this walk some time ago, but have the plan to put a number of the walks I did last year up on the site. This was an area I had never been and had no idea what to expect.

There are multiple entry points to the reserve, particularly from the suburb of Chapman. I found a park and headed for the Cooleman Trig first.

Cooleman Trig is at 727 metres and Mt Arawang slightly higher at 765, but neither of them are too challenging and can easily be combined together in a circuit. The Canberra Centenary Trail also passes through parts of this area, so you could make it part of a bigger activity. I was actually a little surprised to see the signs for the Trail in that area, but as I mentioned, it’s not an area I had been before, and it forms the link between Mt Stromlo and the track heading down towards the Murrumbidgee.

Doing this circuit gave the view over the hills and on to that area beyond the Murrumbidgee, but then also back towards the city and Black Mountain area.

It didn’t take too long from where I started to reach the Cooleman Trig. You can see it all fairly easy, and get a good view over the surrounding area.

And that may have just been my plan, go to the trig and then go home. But I decided to go on. There seemed a few different options heading in various directions, all fairly well signposted. There are also some big rocks that you can stand on top of and improve the view along the way.

I wasn’t sure if I would get across to Mt Arawang in time, but just started heading in that direction. There was another ridge to pass over and it was a bit of a trudge coming back a long the flat, but it was quite a good view, with some steeper sections before reaching the top. The track also thinned out compared to the fire trail style which had been most of the walk.

As I mentioned earlier, there wasn’t so much to see on the way back along the flat. Much like any of the bush tracks which run through so many suburbs of Canberra, though it would have been the most direct way to return to the starting point.

I imagine this area is quite popular with the residents in the nearby suburbs, with plenty of options for long and short walks. It’s an easy journey to get a different view looking over Canberra.

Tags: bushwalking, Canberra, Cooleman Ridge, Mt Arawang, Weston Creek

About the Author

Daniel Boyle Founder of @sportslashlife. Australian living in Chile. Freestyle footbag player and passionate sports fan.

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