Brindabella National Park

Brindabella National Park is the most northerly park along the Australian Alps, sitting northwest of the NSW-ACT border approximately 30kms west of Canberra. The park covers an area of 18,454 hectares (184.54 square kms) and offers a great system of 4WD trails and fire trails with some climbing up to provide fantastic views.

Most of Brindabella lies on volcanic rocks 400 million years old, with a majority of these belonging to a group known as the Mountain Creek Volcanics. From the summit of Mount Coree, which dominates the park, has steep slopes on all approaches and cliffs on the northwest face. Here you'll see excellent views of the surrounding area and the Bag Range Hut lookout, which is an interesting historical landmark.

There are plenty of things to do in the Brindabella National Park such as: bushwalking, mountain biking, orienteering, bird and nature watching, and not to forget - exploring the excellent system of 4WD trails. There are bush camping available - most with no facilities such as the camping areas at Blue Range Hut and Flea Creek, although the camp area at Cotter Reserve has toilets, picnic tables and fireplaces.

No permits are required to access Brindabella National Park. The park can be accessed off the Brindabella Road and can only be reached by 4WD vehicles. Bush camping is permitted within camping areas, however no camping facilities are currently provided within the park. For more information on Brindabella National Park, please contact:

4WD is essential for the tracks in and around Brindabella because some parts can be quite rocky and steep. Dedicated ‘off-road’ tyres and sump guards for vehicles with less ground clearance are highly recommended. Please stay on track, and even if it's muddy or dusty - try not to widen the tracks. Motorised vehicles are not permitted beyond public roads and car parks. Driving conditions in this area are weather dependent. If travelling in this area in winter, be prepared for snow and cold winds. It is also important to keep in mind that the trails are narrow and can get rather slippery in wet and frosty weather, so check weather conditions before you depart. Take adequate clothing to reflect the current weather, so consider warm clothing (beanie, gloves, and jacket) during the cold winter months.

It is recommended to check for park closures as well as the latest road and track conditions, because they may be closed due to floods, fire or park maintenance. Click here to check for Brindabella Park and Track Closures.

Ensure that you carry enough fuel supplies, food and water for the 90km journey. Consider taking good communications equipment such as HF, UHF, mobile phone, and/or a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) in case of emergencies. It is a good idea to some navigation equipment such as a GPS and some current maps of the park. Taking a first aid kit and some recovery gear like snap straps, and a shovel can also be beneficial. Please read our related articles for more information.

Brindabella National Park provides extensive water catchments to the Murrumbidgee and Goodradigbee rivers in NSW and the Cotter River in the ACT. Brindabella’s proximity to the Cotter Catchment and Kosciusko National Park makes the park a valuable corridor for native animals moving between these two areas. Much of Brindabella National Park is covered by forests of red stringybark, scribbly gum, box and peppermint, while more sheltered slopes have forests of brown barrel with ribbon gum. Subalpine snow gum and mountain gum forests are found at higher altitudes.

Brindabella supports a diverse range of native animals, birds and reptiles (as well as threatened ones such as the powerful owl and corroboree frog). Among the large mammals you may stumble upon include: eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, wombats, wallaroos or swamp wallabies. Ring-tail and brush-tail possums, greater gliders and sugar gliders live in the trees. Some of the smaller mammals include: echidnas, antechinus, southern bush rats and water rats. There are also reptiles such as the blotched blue tongue lizards and copperhead snakes.

About 80 species of birds have been seen in the park, including the yellow-tailed black cockatoo and peregrine falcon. Of particular interest to birdwatchers are the powerful owl, pink robin and olive whistler, all of which are threatened. The park is also home to a number of other threatened species including the corroboree frog, common bent-wing bat, yellow-bellied glider and tiger quoll.

The few indigenous occupation sites that have been recorded within the Brindabella area have been dated to approximately 5000 years before European settlement. This area was traditionally occupied by the Walgalu Aboriginal people who reputedly named the valley "Brindabella", which is derived from an Aboriginal word meaning 'two kangaroo rats".

Walgalu people exploited Bogong moths on the Brindabella Range, and during the summer months, also participated with the neighbouring Ngarigo and Ngunawal tribes for the Bogong moth feasts. Some of these communal feasts occurred on the Bogong Range and Snowy Mountains, with Mount Coree showing signs of frequent Aboriginal visitation for Bogong moth collection. Unfortunately there has not been a real systematic archaeological survey in the Brindabella National Park, and those sites that have been recorded are generally small scattered campsite artefacts associated with summit Bogong Moth access routes and waterways.

In the 1850's, gold prospecting was tried throughout the range, but was not a major success. 13 years later, in 1864, the Franklin family took up the valley for grazing. In World War II, the area around Blue Range Hut was used as an intern camp for Italian Nationals. Evidence of the camp still remains today, including the equipment store, the creek diversion channel and swimming pool. The Galley of the camp is what is now called Blue Range Hut.