Although best-known for its annual spring Tulip Festival, with many century-old exotic trees lining the town's laneways and manicured gardens Bowral is a delight to explore in autumn. One of the best vantage points to appreciate the town's autumn finery is from a cantilevered lookout atop Mount Gibraltar which is reached via a scramble up a set of historic stone stairs. The track passes an old quarry which supplied the stone for many of Sydney's grandest buildings, including the Art Gallery of NSW and the State Library. It was also used for the foundation stone for the Commencement Column in Canberra.

Where: Bowral is located about two hours drive to the north-east of Canberra via the Federal, Hume and Illawarra Highways.

Stroll stats: The 1.5 kilometre (one-way) walk starts at the end of Ellen Street, and finishes at the Bowral Lookout where there are picnic facilities and toilets. The 60-metre path to the lookout is suitable for wheelchairs.

Tim's Tip: While the fittest in your group clamber up the stairs, send the others up in a car. They can spread a picnic blanket and have a celebratory drink poured, ready for when you to sip when you reach the top.

Don't miss: In mid-late autumn the view from the lookout over Bowral and beyond over green fields is made even more magical by morning mist. A heavy dew on the ground and the comforting smell of wood fires reminds you that winter is just around the corner.

Make a weekend of it: Badgers End Cottage, Burradoo. From $180 a night for a self-contained cottage for two set among sprawling gardens. Ph: 0416 233 247 or email: jo@progressivepeople.com.au

Tumut trees

Home of the Festival of the Falling Leaf, every March to May, the streets and extensive parkland of Tumut are brushed in a vibrant mix of amber and crimson. One of the best ways to experience this natural colour show is to take a stroll along the Tumut River which meanders through the most scenic part of the town. The elms along the aptly-named Elm Drive make an impressive sight and may well be one of the best mature avenues of the tree anywhere, with the species having been hit by disease in Europe.

Where: Tumut is located about two hours drive to the west of Canberra via Yass and Gundagai.

Stroll stats: The River Walk is relatively flat and can be as long or short as you like. It links with the Bull Paddock Loop and the Tumut Wetlands which also has a number of short walking loops. The track is a hard, smooth surface and so is suitable for smaller kids to ride their bikes alongside mum and dad — it's also easy for older people or for parents with strollers. The full walk from the Tumut Racecourse, where there is plenty of parking, to the Caravan Park (at Wee Jasper Road) is approximately 3 kilometres while just Elm Drive section is approximately 1 kilometre.

Tim's Tip: Be sure to check-out the magnificent oak tree standing guard between the two main entrances of Stockwell Gardens, near the centre of town.

Make a weekend of it: Keep with the tree theme and bunk down at Tumut Log Cabins. There are many majestic old trees adorning the property, including a heritage listed Black Walnut tree. From $88 per double a night. Ph: (02) 6947 4042 or web: www.tumutlogcabins.com

Don't miss: Just down the road from Tumut is Batlow, which on May 16 will be hosting its annual Cider Fest street festival with cider tasting, food and local produce, and music. www.batlowciderfest.com.au

Painted Orange

Mid-morning, afternoon or twilight are a photographers dream in Orange as autumn weaves its magic spell over the pretty town's many exotic trees. It's hard to pick the best spots as the whole town turns it on, but my pick would be the Botanic Gardens. From the moment you amble past the row of maples you know you are in for a real treat. Oh, and the kids will love the adventure playground.

Where: Orange is just more than a three-hour drive to the north of Canberra via Cowra.

Stroll stats: Walk as little or as much as you like through the Botanic Gardens, while Cook Park, which has historic trees dating back to 1880, is my pick if you want to spread the picnic blanket.

Tim's Tip: As Orange is a couple of hundred metres higher than Canberra, often the trees change earlier, so don't leave your trip until May or you might be disappointed.

Make a weekend of it: B&B on the Park. Surrounded by full autumn colour and opposite Cook Park. From $140 a night per double. Ph: 02 6362 2857 or web: www.onthepark.com.au

Stunning sunrise

While most Canberrans are aware of the avenues of trees around Lake Burley Griffin which burst into fireballs of red, orange and yellow, only early risers see it at its brilliant best. With vibrantly-coloured balloons rising and the morning's first rays of sun glistening on dew-draped trees, dawn is by far the best time to soak up the colours around the foreshore of our city's 50-year-old centrepiece.

Stroll stats: There are almost 40 kilometres of shared tracks around the lake, with autumn highlights around Central Basin and Lennox Gardens. The English Gardens in Yarralumla are also a kaleidoscope of colour in autumn and a great spot to walk to feel the crunch of leaves underfoot.

Tim's Tip: Grab a coffee or settle in for a long lunch surrounded autumn leaves at The Oaks Brasserie (Cottage 1, Weston Park Road, Yarralumla, Ph: 6260 5253).

Don't miss: Time your early morning stroll to coincide with the Canberra Balloon Spectacular (March 7-15) on the lawns of Old Parliament House, King Edward Terrace, Parkes. Balloons inflate from 6.15am.

Heritage Hues

At first glance, Tidbinbilla, a nature reserve that showcases native flora and fauna, might seem out of place in this list. However, this special slice of the ACT hasn't always been a nature reserve, and in the 1800s and early-to-mid-1900s the Tidbinbilla Valley was home to pastoral pioneers, many of whom planted exotics around their homesteads. While most of these homes have since been removed (or destroyed by fire), every autumn we are reminded of this bygone era by the splashes of autumn colour which are juxtaposed against the green native vegetation. With their yellow leaves, the poplars almost stand as giant exclamation marks highlighting some of the valley's historic sites. There are over a dozen walks to choose from here, but if you have kids, you can't beat the Birrigai Time Trail. Step back in time on this well-signed heritage walk across the grasslands and enjoy the stories from the past about pioneers and the Aboriginal people who occupied this area on your way to the Birrigai Aboriginal Rock Shelter.

Where: Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Paddys River Road, Tidbinbilla.

Stroll stats: 3.2 kilometre round trip. Allow 1–1.5 hours. Easy grade with some stairs. Note: entry fees apply at Tidbinbilla.

Don't miss: Although for preservation reasons you are not permitted into the rock shelter, nearby are a number of accessible squeezes (natural tunnels in the rock). If you are looking into the rock shelter, the entrance to the longest of these is about 15 metres behind your right shoulder. Warning: Don't have too much for lunch beforehand, they aren't called squeezes for nothing!

Tim's Tip: En route to Tidbinbilla, Take the road via the Cotter and toss piles of fallen brown and yellow leaves into the air. It's liberating. Go on, do it. I dare you!

Bendora Brilliance

While the autumn display amongst some of the plots at the National Arboretum are well-known, it's not the only treasure trove of exotic trees in the ACT. While most of the 52 species planted at Bendora Arboretum, located high in the Brindabellas over 60 years ago are evergreen, the yellow leaves of the Japanese larches (planted 1951) make for a spectacular sight each autumn. Definitely worth the drive (and short walk).

Where: Bendora Arboretum is about an hour's drive (partly on a gravel road) from most parts of Canberra. Access is by walking around 1.5 kilometres along Chalet Road from a locked gate near its junction with Mount Franklin Road. Allow an hour or so to stroll among the larches and other exotic species. An information sheet on the arboretum and a visitor's book are kept in the adjacent Bendora Hut (open all the time and for emergency use only).

Tree tours: The Friends of the ACT Trees occasionally offer guided walks of the Bendora Arboretum. Check out: sites.google.com/site/factacanberra/home for details.

Did You Know? Bendora Arboretum was one of 34 arboreta established in the mountains and lowlands of the ACT in the mid-1900s, primarily in order to discover more about which species were potentially suitable for timber and paper forest plantations in Australia. Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata) was a clear winner.

Watch out for: In autumn, several species of colourful fungi grow on the arboretum floor. Some of these species can be very dangerous, even fatal, if eaten so don't touch, just observe.

Magnificent Murramarang

OK, this one is a little different. With winter fast closing in, head to the coast for one last session of salt water therapy and marvel at a secret forest of twisted spotted gums whose trunks are transformed into vivid reds and yellows on sunrise. Located on a headland which slopes gently eastwards, first light hits the trees virtually horizontally to the ground resulting in an extraordinary optical illusion where it appears as if random chunks of each tree are transformed into glowing embers. It's as if the forest is on fire - a false autumn every dawn.

Where: You won't find it featured on any tourist maps, and the national park sign simply calls it the walking track to Myrtle and Dark beaches in Murramarang National Park about a 20-minute drive north of Batemans Bay. From South Durras drive along Banyandah Street until you reach the Old Coast Road (which starts just beyond the Murramarang Resort). Follow this dirt road for about 2 kilometres until you see a sign on your left for Dark and Myrtle Beach. Turn left and follow this road till it comes to the end (only about 1 kilometre) where there is a car park.

Stroll stats: There is a walking track leading east from the car park (behind the big logs that have been placed there). Almost immediately you will be walking in the "Enchanted Forest". Enjoy!

Expect: The natural spectacle lasts only 10 or so minutes before the sun creeps far enough above the horizon for its angle to lose its blazing effect.

Tim's Tip: Beware if you wander off track as the forest ends abruptly at a sea cliff.

Make a weekend of it: The Bawley Bed and Breakfast. Purpose built B&B mud brick house that features five spacious en suite bedrooms and is surrounded by spotted gum forests. For $170 a room per night. Ph: 02 4457 1312 Web: www.thebawley.com.au

Glittering glow worms

Like many villages in the Southern Highlands, Bundanoon is a charming place to discover in autumn, with much of the village splashed in autumnal hues. However, not all the colour here is falling off the trees. If you are prepared to take a short stroll in the dark, you will be dazzled by a light show of a different kind — by one of Australia's biggest known colonies of glow worms at a secret grotto.

Getting there: Bundanoon is a 90-minute drive north-east of Canberra via the Hume Highway. For a change of scenery, drive into the village via Wingello and Penrose and then return to the Hume Highway via Exeter and Sutton Forest.

Stroll stats: Glow Worm Glen is located in Morton National Park. Access is from the end of William Street, Bundanoon (about a steep 20-30 minute walk each way) and from Riverview Road (about a 40 minute walk).

What makes them glow? Glow worms aren't worms at all , they are the larvae offspring of the fungas gnat and at night their silvery colour (light) is produced by a chemical reaction between certain body fluids and oxygen.

Don't forget: A back-up torch, just in case. On a moonless or cloudy evening it can be very dark on the trek to the grotto through the sunken forest.

Tim's Tip: The best time in autumn to view the glow worms is March. Bring your own water bottle. In 2009 Bundanoon became the first town in Australia (and possibly the world) to be "bottled water free". More: www.bundyontap.com.au

Make a weekend of it: If you don't fancy a 90-minute drive dodging wombats back to Canberra, stay overnight, or for the weekend. Bundanoon is home to guesthouses and self-contained accommodation. If you've got kids, it's hard to go past Morvern Valley Farm Stay (cnr The Gullies Road and Grey Gum Lane) which has three "host-free" cottages. Prices from $330 for a two-night midweek stay to $690 for a weekend stay. The littlies will love fairyland down by the farm's babbling brook and there's a menagerie of farm animals to interact with - everything from chickens and ducks, to donkeys, alpacas, suffolk sheep (the ones with cute black faces and legs) peacocks and even miniature ponies. More, Ph: 02 4883 7057 or www.morvern-valley.com

Suburban Splendour

Some of the best displays of autumn colour in our region are quite close to home, lining our streets. Every March, the streetscapes of many of our older suburbs start changing from leafy green to a brilliant display of red, ochre, crimson and gold. Here's some of the best locations:

Northside:

• Red oaks in Harris Street, Hackett

• Chinese pistachios in Gardiner Street, Downer (be quick though as they are favourite with the sulphur-crested white cockatoos which can strip a tree bare of colour in a few days)

• Claret ash, streets in Dickson and Downer

Southside:

• Ornamental pears on the lake promenade near the National Library of Australia

• Red oaks in La Perouse Street, Red Hill and the corner of Hobart Avenue and Empire Circuit in Forrest

• Liquidambars along Investigator Street, Red Hill

The lookouts from Mount Ainslie and Red Hill also provide a birds-eye view of autumn colour in central Canberra.