Forget the exodus to the coast, rain has been a Christmas gift for Namadgi National Park, writes Tim the Yowie Man.
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It's warm, the air is laced with humidity, along with that fresh ''it just rained smell''. The dirt car park I've just pulled up in is pock-marked with puddles, each full to the brim after the early morning storm. As I grab my backpack out of the Yowie Mobile I can't see far ahead for stands of long grass (which appear to be growing before my eyes) and thick lush forest.
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I instinctively cup my hand behind my ear, half expecting to hear waves crashing just over the hill. Instead, I hear the call of a brush cuckoo.
I can't quite believe what I'm seeing. I'm actually at the Booroomba Rocks track car park in Namadgi National Park, but its current appearance reminds me of the car parks dotted along the South Coast. You know those dirt car parks where you feel you are in the middle of nowhere, but it turns out that you are just a few sand dunes away from a pristine beach.
The last time I visited here was in 2005. It was at the height of the drought and I recall avoiding tumble weeds and palls of dust blowing around the car park. After exploring Namadgi for over a decade in drought conditions it's fairytale-like to see it looking so lush and fertile. Even the usually omnipresent scars of the 2003 firestorms seem a distant memory, as I look up into towering mountain gums and sub alpine meadows swathed in spring colour. The creeks are running, the rivers are gurgling. Namadgi has never looked so good.
In fact, if ever there was a time to explore our magical national park that makes up most of the ACT, it's now. Not only is it flourishing after a year of good rains, but with this current run of mild temperatures it's at its best to explore.
As I head up the short (just over 1km track to the top of Booroomba Rocks), it doesn't take me long to realise a few others bushwalkers are taking advantage of the near-perfect hiking conditions.
I let a few younger groups of walkers bound past. Why rush? The park hasn't looked this good this century (sure it's only been going 11 years, but you get the drift).
I never understand why some people treat bushwalks as races. For me the adventure (and pleasure) is so often in the journey as much as reaching the destination. No one skulls a good bottle of red, do they? If you tear along, you don't see the intricate fungi growing on the trees, or the rare Dampiera fusca (a small perennial shrub found for the first time in the ACT after the 2003 fires) trying to outcompete the Oxylobium elipticum (a common pea). Another thing you'll definitely miss are the drops of water hanging on the edges of ribbons of bark making one wonder if gravity will get the better of them and they'll drip on to the ground or whether they'll magically evaporate into the air.
Imposing granite tors, which during my last visit stood starkly amid a near apocalyptic landscape post-bushfires, are now hidden behind thick screens of regrowth. Only the giant ones among them, like the ship's stern (well that's what I call it, anyway) about half way-up, stand out. Today, the ship's stern is even living up to its name, with water cascading off its side - fed from a little stream above.
The path soon flattens out and I reach the top. I tippy-toe towards the edge. There are no guard rails, or fences so take care here, especially with children. It's a clear day and the vista is so broad I feel I can almost look into the future - well, okay, as far as the hills to the north of the ACT.
Atop some rocks to my left I see a young couple canoodling, while straight ahead, I meet Stuart Harris and Antonia Cruz, who sit perched on the cliff top soaking up the commanding view below.
They're a friendly couple and Antonia even offers me a piece of her freshly baked banana and coconut loaf (yum!). We ponder how many people have walked in the valleys deep below. Very few, is our consensus, and why would you, with a view like this to enjoy.
The view at Booroomba Rocks. Photo: Luke Johnston
Not wanting to overstay my welcome (you know, three's a crowd and all that ...), I bid my newfound friends farewell and head back down the hill to the car.
It's that time of the year when many of us head to the coast or further afield, but if you're ''stuck in Canberra for Christmas'', my suggestion is to get out and explore some of Namadgi.
You don't have to embark on an adventure trek, or even rough it overnight; you can simply take a stroll along some of the park's shorter walks like this little gem to Booroomba Rocks. You won't be disappointed. I'm already trying to convince Mrs Yowie Man to cancel our annual trip down the coast, for if there ever was a holiday season to be ''stuck in Canberra'' then this is surely it.
FACT FILE
Booroomba Rocks walk: The walk starts and finishes at the Booroomba Rocks car park in Namadgi National Park, 2.5km return. Allow about 1 hours for the return walk.
Getting there: Allow about an hour's drive from Civic. Drive south of Tharwa into the Namadgi National Park. Turn right on to Apollo Road. Follow this sealed road for about 9km and then turn right onto an unsealed road (2WD accessible). Follow this road for about 3km until you reach the car park.
Don't forget: The binoculars - the view is that expansive that you might be able to pick out your own home.
Need to catch your breath? About half way up, on a rock platform is a wooden seat. Not a bad view from there either.
Tim's Tip: Booroomba Rocks is a great place to watch the sunrise or sunset. If you do walk along the track while it's dark, take care and take a torch.
What's that? Near the top of the track, hidden partly from view behind a tree is a ''litter'' in a blue bag. This rescue stretcher is kept here in case of an emergency as the rock faces of Booroomba Rocks are a popular place for rock climbers.
More info: Drop into the Namadgi National Park Visitor Centre on the way out (just beyond Tharwa) for details on the Booroomba Rocks walk along with other places to visit and be inspired by in our national park.
LOCAL MYSTERY
THE CASE OF THE DEAD TREE
The mystery: Michael Wansink is disappointed about the plight of one of his favourite trees in Urambi Hills Nature Reserve.
The Kurrajong in Urambi Hills a year ago
''On each of the two peaks at Urambi Hills is a spectacular tree under which persons unknown have erected a seat. Each a great place to sit and ponder the suburbs of Tuggeranong or the valley of the Murrumbidgee,'' writes Michael.
''On a recent wander I discovered that the tree on the northern peak has died. On my previous visit in 2010, the tree was alive and healthy and now it is dead. Could be a mystery, could be simply death or the tree could have met with foul play. What do you know about these trees and their history?''
The verdict: The tree on each of the two peaks are Kurrajongs (Brachychiton populneus). They are spectacular trees when they are as large as these two trees and are also very old.
The Kurrajong now
Kristy Gould, of Canberra Nature Park, reports that, ''unfortunately one of them has died and we are not sure what caused it. Urambi Hills has been subject to grazing and clearing over the past 100 years and these two trees are thought to be part of the original vegetation. Other Kurrajong trees exist on Urambi Hills and throughout Canberra Nature Parks. There are several Kurrajongs germinating under the dead tree on Urambi Hills, however, it will be a number of years before they are of noticeable size.''
Did You Know? Kurrajongs are a native tree and are relatively slow growing. Their trunk acts as a water storage device that allows them to survive dry conditions. They have a small bell-shaped flowers from October to March. Indigenous people had many uses for the Kurrajong tree and they were also used as fodder for stock during times of drought. Other places to see Kurrajongs are near the peak of Mt Majura and along the ridges of the Murrumbidgee river corridor. Can you help? Do you know what caused the Urambi Hills' Kurrajong to die to quickly? Let me know at the address at the end of my column.
CONTACT TIM
Got a comment on today's stories or an unusual photo? Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write to me c/o The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie Street, Fyshwick.