What is Namadgi National Park?
Namadgi National Park covers almost half of the Australian Capital Territory, protecting mountains, forests and alpine country south of Canberra. It supplies much of the city's drinking water.
Declared in 1984, the park forms the northern end of the Australian Alps. Its name comes from the Aboriginal word for the mountains southwest of Canberra.
Namadgi has Aboriginal rock art sites, such as Yankee Hat, and evidence of Aboriginal occupation going back many thousands of years. The Ngunnawal and other groups travelled to the mountains each summer to feast on Bogong moths.
Walks and wildlife
Walks include Booroomba Rocks and Mount Gingera. Kangaroos, wombats and emus are common.
Dams on the Cotter River, such as Corin and Bendora, store water for Canberra, so parts of the catchment are closed to the public.
The 2003 bushfires burned most of the park, and the 2020 Orroral Valley fire burned about 80 percent of it again. The bush has been slowly recovering.
The park's high country includes Bimberi Peak, the highest point in the ACT at about 1,912 metres.
Did You Know?
Namadgi's visitor centre is near the small town of Tharwa.