Urambi Hills

Urambi Hills is part of a network of urban hills and ridges.

General Information

Wearing sensible footwear is recommended, and a hat and a drink are good ideas in hot weather. Dogs are permitted on Urambi Hills but they must be kept on a lead. The network of urban hills and ridges is managed for their conservation, recreation and educational values, by the Conservation and Land Management Unit of Environment ACT.

The Animals

The mixture of open spaces and more heavily wooded areas on Urambi Hills provides habitats for a variety of amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and invertebrates. Eastern grey kangaroos are sometimes seen in large mobs, so please don't approach them too closely and if you have your dog with you , keep it on a lead. Echidnas are aso common but not often seen. Their abundant excavations in ant and termite nests provide the evidence, particularly in spring and summer.

Many of the birds, such as magpies, Australian ravens, and eastern rosellas are permanent residents , while some such as bee-eaters and dollarbirds come from northern Australia for our summer. Yellow-rumped thornbills, red-browed finches and diamond firetails are just a few of the small birds that frequent the tall grassed and bushy places. Gliding or hovering above may be wedge-tailed eagles, black-shouldered kites, nankeen kestrels or other birds of prey.

The reptiles include the deadly but shy common brown snake, big harmless bluetongues and the diminutive pink-tailed legless lizard.

A variety of frogs is more often heard than seen, while a host of invertebrates such as scorpions and spiders lurk in the grass and under bark and rocks.

The Plants

Although Urambi Hills has been subjected to clearing and grazing for over 100 years, some of the original vegetation still remains. The largest trees are mostly eucalypts such as yellow box, Blakely's red gum, brittle gum, and broad-leaved peppermint, with snow gums on the colder southern face of the hills.

On the summits of the two peaks are very old kurrajongs which have been lopped in the past to provide fodder for hungry stock. Ballarts, blackthorn and acacias form much of the remaining understorey. Until recently introduced woody weeds such as firethorn and sweet briar were common but now being brought under control. The groundcovers are a mixture of native plants including kangaroo grass, native raspberry, early nancy and sundew, competing with exotic phalaris, oats and others for space, light and nutrients. The vegetation of Urambi is staging a comeback, thanks to the replanting and weed control activities of the Conservation and Land Management Unit of Enviornment ACT,Friends of Urambi Hills Group, the Australian Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Tuggeranong Rotary, and others.

• Mistletoe (Amyema sp)
• Kurrjong (Brachychiton populneus)
• Native blackthorn (Bursaria lasiophylla)
• Resurrection fern (Cheilanthes sp)
• Blakley's red gum (Eucalyptus blakelyi)
• Apple box (Eucalyptus bridgesiana)
• Red stringybark (Eucalyptus macrorhyncha)
• Yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora)
• Mealy bundy (Eucalyptus nortonii)
• Red box (Eucalyptus polyanthemos)
• Scribbly gum (Eucalyptus rossii)
• Native cherry (Exocarpus cupressiformis)
• False sarsparilla (Hardenbergia violacea)

The Trails

Urambi Hills—Map ( PDF 551Kb)

The Urambi Hills Nature Trail is a joint project between the Conservation and Land Management Unit of Environment ACT and the Rotary Club of Tuggeranong. The total length of the trail is four kilometres but can be walked in shorter lengths depending on where you start and finish. The terrain varies from the relatively flat section behind the houses of Learmonth Drive in Kambah, to the steeper climbs to the twin peaks which form Urambi Hills.