General Description: You'll find loads of great mountain biking country to the east of Canberra. Googong Dam is very close in, the Tinderries are a bit further to go, while Tallaganda State Forest is still within one hour's easy drive. All three areas have their own special characteristics - you'll find superb water, mountains, and forests in these areas. There is a maze of roads in Tallaganda, a beautiful ride on tracks around Googong Dam and in the Tinderries there is really only one track that offers a feasible ride but it's a good one.
Maps: Hoskinstown, Captains Flat, Tinderry, Manar, Bendoura Bombay, (1:25 000). Googong Foreshores Map (Environment ACT).
Getting There: Googong is 13km Queanbeyan by bitumen road. The other two areas are within an hour's drive of Canberra, most of which is sealed but some of it is on good quality dirt. There is no public transport to the usual starting points for the rides.
Suggested Starting Points: For Googong, start at the dam (north end) or the London Bridge picnic area (south end). For the Tinderries the usual starting place for the circuit is the village of Burra. Tallaganda sits on top of the Great Dividing Range and is much more extensive than the other two areas - there are numerous possible heading-off points: Lowden Forest Park, Hoskinstown, Rossi or any of the road junctions on the top of the Range.
Road Conditions: In the Tallaganda State Forest the roads are generally in excellent condition, there are very few water crossings and the grades are for the most part relatively gentle. The same can be said for the west side of Googong Dam. However, the other side of the dam is very different - steep and rough with one major water crossing (quite deep after rain). Similarly parts of the track through the Tinderries are very steep and rough.
Suggested Roads: In Tallaganda -- Mulloon, Bombay, Palerang, Jinglemoney, Bald Hill, North Black Range and Gourock Fire Trails. At Googong -- the trail that goes around the Dam. In the Tinderries -- East Tinderry Fire Trail.
Special Features: Magnificent views of mountains in the Tinderries. The ride round Googong Dam is great for water views and distant sightings of Canberra is addition to attractions such as the limestone feature 'London Bridge', Curleys Falls and Burra Homestead. In the Tallaganda State Forest, Lowden Forest Park is a very special place -- an old logging camp set in a beautiful wet gully. There are plenty of other wonderful spots in this area.
Land Tenure: Googong Dam is in NSW but is surrounded by land managed by Environment ACT (it's part of Canberra's water supply system). The Tinderries are a nature reserve managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service but access is through private land. Tallaganda is a NSW State Forest.
Water Availability: Although there is water at certain spots in all these areas, they tend to be quite dry and it is advisable to take in all the water you will require at any time of the year.
Warnings: Access to the Tinderries is across private land. Permission should be obtained before venturing into this area (contact the NSW National Parks Office in Queanbeyan for advice). The circumnavigation of Googong can be impossible after wet weather due to the water level in the Queanbeyan River.
Places to Camp: Lowden Forest Park is a wonderful spot to camp in Tallaganda (there is good water there). Camping would be ok in many other parts of the forest but lack of water may be a problem. Camping is not allowed in the Googong Reserve.