General Description: The Brindabella is a range of mountains about 20 km to the west of the Canberra. The area is forested either with pinus radiata or eucalypts, and contains a extensive network of fire trails and forestry roads. A large part of this area is the main water catchment for Canberra. It is possible to ride to the summit of a number of prominent peaks.
Maps: Cotter Dam, Tidbinbilla (1:25 000).
Getting There: Access to the area is excellent - the usual roads taken from Canberra are the Cotter or the Uriarra Roads. Alternatively, you can go via the Tidbinbilla Rd from the southern suburbs of Canberra. All these are good quality sealed roads, and the area can be reached in under half an hour by car from most areas of Canberra. There is an infrequent bus service to parts of the area in the peak tourist season.
Suggested Starting Points: Given the extensive network of tracks it is possible to start rides from numerous places. The favourite starting spots if you only want to drive the car on the bitumen or on good dirt roads are at, or around: the Cotter Reserve, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Laurel Camp, Uriarra Homestead, Condor Creek and Blundell Hill. Many of the tracks in the forest are open to vehicles and are easily driveable in two wheel drive vehicles in dry weather (look out for rain!) so it is possible to start riding from lots of places within the forest.
Road Conditions: For the most part the track surfaces in this area are excellent and the grades often reasonably gentle. However, on some tracks there are a fair number of steep rough sections and several water crossings which can be deep depending on the weather.
Suggested Roads: The area is a maze of roads which are excellent for the mountain bike. These include: Two Sticks Rd, Warks Rd, Pipeline Rd, Old Mill Rd, Parrot Rd, Wombat Rd and Tidbinbilla Range Rd. If you examine the maps you'll find many other named and unnamed tracks which link up with the above-mentioned roads to give circuits of varying length and difficulty.
Special Features: Bendora Dam, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Blue Range Hut, Mt Coree, Mt Pierce, Tidbinbilla Peak (a short walk from the nearest fire trail), Bendora arboretum (close to Bendora Hut). Magnificent forest, wet gullies, good birdlife, great views from some of the ridges.
Land Tenure: The area is almost all public land - ACT Forestry Service in the north, in the south managed by Environment ACT
Water Availability: Generally there is plenty of water in the gullies and creeks throughout the year.
Warnings: The Cotter River can be uncrossable during periods of wet weather. The area north of the Brindabella Rd is a favourite playground of local trail bike riders - these do present a hazard but at least they can be heard well before they appear!
Places to Camp: There is an organised campsite at the Cotter Reserve. Camping is permitted in those parts of the area outside the Cotter Valley (which is part of the Canberra water catchment).