Cooleman Ridge

Welcome to Cooleman Ridge, a part of Canberra Nature Park. Cooleman is an Aboriginal word for shield and appears in a lot of Australian place names.

General Information

Cooleman Ridge has been grazed by sheep and cattle for over 100 years and consequently has many exotic grasses and weeds. Before Europeans brought their sheep to the woodland plains around the Canberra area, the landscape was very different. There were many more trees than the few scattered ones we see now. The main species were yellow box, Blakely's red gum, apple box and red box.

We invite you to walk a trail of 2.7km to see some of the interesting features of the reserve. The observant visitor may find some pleasant surprises in this area. The information given in the attached documents refer to numbered posts along the marked trail. The walk will take you between one and two hours. Dogs are welcome in the park but must be kept on a lead. We hope you enjoy your walk.

This area is managed as a unit of Canberra Nature Park by the Conservation and Land Management Unit of Environment ACT with the help of the Cooleman Ridge Park Group. This group is made up of community members with a keen interest in restoring Cooleman Ridge to its former open woodland condition. If you wish to take part in this work, please contact Canberra Nature Park on telephone +61 6 207 2087.

The trail is the result of collaboration between individuals from Canberra Nature Park, Weston Creek Rotary Club and Cooleman Ridge Park Care Group.

Cooleman Ridge Nature Trail

Cooleman Ridge Nature Trail Brochure ( PDF 1.3Mb)

Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve Map ( PDF 508Kb)

1. The start of this trail follows part of the Bicentennial Equestrian Trail which winds its way between Melbourne and Cooktown.
2. Cooleman Ridge was once grassy woodland and many old trees have survived. The tree you just passed on your left is a red stringybark and the one in front of you is a red box. Hollows in these trees are home for many species of native birds as well as possums and gliders.
3. The tall smooth-barked tree on the left is a scribbly gum. The scribbles are caused by moth larvae. The tall, majestic rough-barked tree in the valley below is a yellow box. In the past these trees have been used for fencing and firewood and many of the remaining trees are dying from old age.
4. The fence encloses a revegetation area in which a number of tree seedlings are growing and where the Cooleman Ridge Park Care group has been removing weeds. The shrub growing in this area is blackthorn which provides nectar for native wasps. On the southern slopes of this hill, called Fence Post Hill, the small resurrection fern and other native plants are regenerating as a result of removal of cattle and weeds.
5. Take a few minutes to look at the magnificent view to the west. Bullen Range is in the foreground and high peak to the right is Mt Coree which is in the Brindabella Range. To the left, the Tidbinbilla Range with Tidbinbilla Peak.
6. This fine grove of trees consists of mealy bundy. There is a mealy or waxy white coating on the buds and small branches. You might see birds of prey such as kites, hawks or kestrels hunting near by or maybe a pair of wedge-tailed eagles gliding on the thermal currents.
7. The tallest, isolated mountain to the south is Mt Tennent which overlooks Tharwa. Mt Tennent was named after John Tennant, a bushranger, who was arrested in 1827 by the manager of Duntroon, James Ainslie. Rumour has it that John Tennant and his gang had their hide-out in a cave on Mt Tennent.
8. This dam is used by ducks, frogs , tortoises and other wildlife. Eastern snake-necked tortoises can sometimes be seen swimming here with their long necks out of the water. Sit down and listen to the frog chorus around the dam. No two species of frog make the same call. How many can you hear?
9. The granite soils in this area are fragile and prone to erosion. The planting undertaken by the Cooleman Ridge Park Care group helps to stabilise the soil. The planting to your left and the area on your right, known as Stonehenge, were planted in 1991. The area further on was planted in 1993.
10. Dead trees like the one on your left are habitats for animals and form an important part of the ecosystem. Trees planted in this area will take at least 100 years to begin to form hollows. Many of our native animals use hollows to nest or roost. The disappearance of hollows can lead to an animal species becoming threatened.
11. The Cooleman trig point gives a magnificent panorama of Canberra's hills and of the surrounding mountains. Use the 3600 panorama list here to orient yourself. The rocks are Laidlaw Volcanic, which were formed by a gigantic eruption 420 million years ago. Lichen covers several of the rocks. Lichen is a symbiosis of algae and fungi. It grows very slowly, so please don't damage it.
12. To the right of the track is a native creeper, false sarsaparilla, which has beautiful purple pea flowers. These steps were built in 1993 by a LEAP program (Landcare and Environment Action Program).
13. The bright green trees above the path are native cherries. The fruit of these trees is an Aboriginal bush food. These partial parasites seems to have killed their host.
14. From this point you can see the National Capital and some of its landmarks: to the left is the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain; on the lake you can often see the Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet; in the centre of the view is the Parliament House flag pole; to the right is the MLC building at Woden, one of Canberra's town centres.
15. The red box tree here is severely infested with mistletoe. Mistletoe is a parasite whose roots are embedded in the tree's sap system. The sticky green fruit of the parasite is the main food of the mistletoe bird, a spectacular little metallic blue bird with a red throat and underrate.
16. We are now heading down towards Kathner Street again. The bright green trees are kurrajongs. Although kurrajongs look exotic they are actually native to this area and are often spread by birds dropping their seeds.