It’s the best time of year to be outdoors in the nation’s capital, not too hot and not too cold. Flowers are blossoming, the grass is slightly greener than it has been for a while, animals (and insects and reptiles!) are becoming more active.
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It’s healthy to get out and about with activities like hiking, camping, cycling, bird watching, wildflower spotting. Canberra has some of the best that nature has to offer on our doorstep.
But it’s crucial to remember that while hoping for the best on your adventures, it’s always better to prepare for the worst. Not only that, but it’s vitally important that we pay attention not only to our own safety, but keep an eye out for others on our travels.
Cyclist Alex Gorecki experienced that sort of kindness and vigilance from fellow Canberran Daniel Savage last Sunday. He was lucky that when he fell off his bike an hour and a half away from civilisation, on Mount Franklin in the Brindabellas, the stranger in the car driving behind him stopped to help.
Much of area surrounding Canberra is remote, rugged bushland, and even for those experienced explorers it can throw up unexpected challenges. For Alex, it was simply loose gravel that brought him crashing down.
If you're a Canberran looking to get out and about but not too far into the woods today, it's near peak wildflower season and the ACT has more than 100 species of the pretty perennials.
Significant work is going into conserving Canberra's native grasslands, which is expected to created healthier populations of colourful natives.
"Canberra is a very special place, a bastion for what we have left," Friends of Grasslands president Geoff Robertson said.
ACT Parks and Conservation ecologist Brett Howland said Australian native flowers weren't particularly large because they had learnt to adapt to the harsh climate Down Under. Apparently, they can last years without a drop of rain.
According to Mr Howland, the best places for flower spotting are Dunlop grassland, Mulanggari grasslands, York Park in Barton and Kama Nature Reserve.
In a news cycle often dominated by a sad state of affairs, bringing our readers stories like these that highlight the good things and good people in Canberra is a privilege.
