This walk was organised and led by Stan M as a CBC walk:

Monday evening, 2 February: Aranda Bushland – S/E Meet at 6.30 in the car park accessed via the lane beside 57 MacKellar Circuit, Cook and wander around the bushland. Great views. No need to book. Map: n/a Leader: Stan M Transport: drive yourself.

5 of us met in the car park as described above.

The map for the Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve is here.

Walk track

This evening stroll took us down management trails and bike path, under Bindubi St and into the Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve. NE through the Reserve to the back of Aranda, then S down the main walking tack which splits the Reserve. Dry bushland (see pic 1). Some signage near the S end of the Reserve for the Frost Hollow to Forest Walk. We followed the easement provided by the leaseholder of the Glenloch property down to the Aranda Frost Hollow Snow Gums (see pic 2). Signage says:

Aranda Snow Gums Heritage Site. Snow Gums (Eucalyptus pauciflora) are the most cold-tolerant eucalypts and this pocket of naturally occurring trees lines the edge of the frost hollow. The scattered lowland Snow Gums around Canberra are remnants of an extensive Snow Gum woodland that existed here during the last ice age. Friends of Aranda Bushland initiated this Snow Gums conservation project in 1994. They have been removing weeds, collecting seed and planting new Snow Gum seedlings. These seedlings were propagated by Lake Ginninderra College students and planted in spring 1999. The site was listed on the interim Heritage Place Register in June 1998 as the best Canberra example of a frost hollow edge with its natural vegetation largely intact.

We returned up the easement to a pair of wonderfully shaped seats (see pic 3). Here the signage says:

Yellow Box - Red Gum Grassy Woodland. These 200+ year old trees are what remains of the original Yellow Box - Red Gum Grassy Woodland. They were left as mature trees for shade when the land was cleared for grazing. The Yellow Box - Red Gum Grassy Woodland sites to the east and along the creek have been classified as an endangered ecological community. They provide habitat for many endangered bird species. There are three different eucalypt species in the corridor. Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora), Blakely's Red Gum (E. blakelyi) and Candlebark (E. rubida). Can you identify them?

There's a pic of a Blakelys Red Gum here.

Back at the S end of the Reserve, we headed NW back to the underpass and so back to the car. The stormy sky over Mt Painter looked dramatic (see here).

Thanks Stan for a pleasant ramble. Company from Carol, Alison and Brigitte.

Distance: 4.6km  Climb: 100m.  Time: 6.35 - 7.50pm (1hr15mins).
Grading: S/E; VE(3)

KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve