Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

Namadgi National Park

Namadgi National Park covers nearly half the area of the ACT, with walking tracks from short walks to much longer tracks that take days to walk. A visitors centre is located on the Naas Road, about 2 km south of Tharwa. Some roads are impassable in winter because of regular snowfalls. This NP is intermediary in difficulty between the formal parks of Canberra and the ruggedness of the wilderness of the high country around Kosciuszko. The low country of the bark are vegetated by dry lowland eucalypt  forests change to wet eucalypt forests on the slopes of the Brindabella Range. Further up the sides of the range the wet forests are replaced by snow gums and at the top are flower meadows. Sphagnum peat swamps are scattered along the range. Grey kangaroos and wombats are 2 of the more visible inhabitants that are common in the park.

Bogong moths

During the summer months millions of bogong moths migrate to the range and the Kosciuszko area, both part of the Snowy Mountains, to aestivate (summer hibernate) in the cracks and crevices of the rocks. Small groups of Aboriginal People would congregate here in large numbers at this time, feasting on the moths in hot ashes, mashing them to make 'moth meat' which is said to have a nutty taste.

The peak of Mt Tennent, on the northern edge of the park reaches nearly 1400 m, is adjacent  to the visitors centre. 3 km along the Apollo Road from its junction with the Naas Road, and about 8 km south of the visitors centre, is the start of a summit walk. A 5-hour trek can be found along a fire track with views to the Brindabella Range and Canberra.

Another walk, starting 5 km further along the Apollo Road at the end of a 3 km unsealed track, leads to Booroomba Rocks where there is a picnic area. The walking track leads to a rock platform above a 120 m cliff.

Sources & Further reading

• Aridification of Australia
• Glacial Maximum
• Dunes