Distance: 4.0 km
Time: 30 minutes or all day
Grade: Easy
Surface Type: 30% sealed paths, 70% gravel paths
Map reference: Canberra Cycleways Map
Route Map
Map of Central Canberra
Route Description:
This may be the shortest of the Rides, but being so central and so close to other bike facilities, it is a wonderful introduction to cycling in Canberra, and lends a different perspective to approaching and viewing Parliament House from within the Australian landscape.
The Ride starts at the small car park off State Circle at the head of Flynn Drive. Access by bike is straight forward - leave the bike path alongside Lake Burley Griffin close to the intersection of Flynn Drive with Alexandrina Drive, and ride 600 metres steadily uphill on a bitumen bike path, through the State Circle underpass and up to the car park.
The car park is close to the first "permanent structure" in Canberra, the Surveyor’s Hut, and also adjacent to a couple of electric barbecues situated under some newly planted shade trees.
Leave the car park and head 50 metres back along the bike path, across a small bridge and left onto a narrow red gravel path. This path almost circumnavigates Parliament House, between the two Circles - State and Capital. It is designed for pedestrians, and although very few pedestrians are ever encountered, riders should take care to give priority to walkers.
The narrow path winds uphill for 300 metres through attractive natural bushland of Yellow Box (Eucalyptus Melliodora), Scribbly Gum (Eucalyptus Rossii) and dense stands of Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia Baileyana) until a lookout is reached with a clear view over Capital Circle towards Parliament House. Despite being so close to roads and buildings, this bushland still retains many of the characteristics of the original landscape before European settlement of the area in 1820. In fact it is one of only a few areas in Australia to have the “nationally rare and endangered” daisy-like Button Wrinklewort (Rutidosis Leptorrhynchoides), which flowers between December and March. It is not easy to spot and should not be confused with the more common golden everlasting daisies (helichrysum sp).
The path continues across a connecting road between Adelaide Avenue and State Circle, and heads under the Adelaide Avenue twin road bridges (0.6km). To the right across State Circle can be seen the Indian Embassy, and in the distance the white iron fence around the United States Embassy. 200 metres after the bridges another lookout provides details of the Prime Minister’s Lodge, well hidden behind a dense cover of trees. A short history and 1930’s photograph of the Lodge, which was built in 1926 as a temporary residence, can be read at the lookout.
The Ride continues uphill on a more formal sealed path until it reaches Melbourne Avenue, close to its overpass with Capital Circle. This road leads directly towards the Executive entrance of Parliament House, where the Prime Minister and other dignitaries can enter and leave well away from the tourists about a kilometre away on the opposite side of the building. A lookout close to Melbourne Avenue describes the relationship of Capital Hill with the roads which radiate from it and which encircle it, as envisaged by Walter Burley Griffin in his 1918 winning design of Canberra.
The path now travels through open grassland studded with patches of young eucalypts until it reaches the traffic lights at Canberra Avenue (1.4km). Crossing carefully at the lights the path continues past a lookout which explains some of the history of the gothic-style St Andrews Presbyterian church, started in 1929. Another 200 metres further along the path a lookout describes Parliament House, built between 1981 and 1988. Further along, in a stand of young Stringy Barks, a couple of picnic tables have been installed, presumably for the office workers at the massive red tile roofed Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which was recently completed in 1995 (1.9km).
Crossing the quiet maintenance access road the path climbs gently to terminate at Kings Avenue (2.2km), just after the final lookout which describes the shape and significance of the National Triangle, bounded by Kings Avenue, Constitution Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue. Inside the National Triangle, the clear land axis (between Parliament House and Mt Ainslie), and the less obvious water axis (between the Australian National Library and the High Court) have been defined.
Turn left onto Kings Avenue, which crosses capital Circle on a high overbridge, and intersects with the rectangular Parliament Drive. Detour right to join the tourists on an inspection of the interior of Parliament House, or a climb up the grassy mound to the top of the building under the gigantic stainless steel flagpole. The Ride turns left and, passing the right angle corner of Parliament Drive, leaves the road at a small unmanned guard post. A sealed path and a red gravel unsealed path can be seen, which enter the Parliament House Precinct Gardens. (2.4km). Select the right hand unsealed path which meanders through dense plantings of native species. Take the right fork at the first intersection and ride past the tennis courts until a wonderful part-hidden formal garden is reached, complete with lush grass, fruit trees, pergolas hung with wisteria, roses and water features (and access to toilets). This garden is a surprising and little known gem within the landscape, and affords excellent views as well as discreetly hidden grassy areas (ideal for a quiet picnic), complete with dense hedges and curious sculptures.
After exploring the garden, take the exit path which is opposite the entry path and via a series of paved ramps past a pair of white stone Chinese lions. Continue along the path past another tennis court and a curious square building with huge vents and loud sounds of rushing water (This is the main air conditioner for the building ) until the path emerges back onto Parliament Drive close to the second right angle corner and an identical (and deserted) guard post (3.0km)
Past the corner another path plunges back into the native gardens until it emerges into a pair of car parks intersected by Melbourne Avenue. Crossing the car parks the path re-enters the gardens until it emerges at the third corner of Parliament Drive and yes, the third deserted guard post.
After this corner take the sealed track as it descends into the gardens, past more tennis courts, until a left fork is reached (3.7km). The left fork track descends sharply alongside Capital Circle until it passes under a surprisingly delicate concrete overbridge back to the barbecues and Surveyor’s Hut (4.0km).