Best Outdoor Activities in Canberra

Canberra is surrounded by more nature than almost any other Australian capital, with the Australian Alps accessible within two hours and Namadgi National Park beginning at the city's western edge. The outdoor lifestyle is one of the capital's strongest but least-marketed assets.

Namadgi National Park — covering 105,000 hectares of the ACT's south and west, Namadgi provides walking tracks from easy nature trails to multi-day alpine routes. The Yankee Hat rock art walk, the Booroomba Rocks scramble, and the Mount Tennent summit hike are among the best day-walk options accessible from Canberra within 45 minutes. In winter, the Namadgi High Country receives snow.

Lake Burley Griffin — the lake at the heart of Canberra is a paddling, cycling, and walking destination year-round. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard hire is available from multiple points around the lake. The 35km perimeter cycling path circles the entire lake and passes the National Institutions precinct, the Black Mountain peninsula, and Weston Park.

Black Mountain — the Black Mountain Nature Reserve provides walking tracks directly from the inner suburbs, with the summit (812m) offering panoramic views of the city, the mountains, and the surrounding pastoral landscape. The scrub around the telecommunications tower is rich birdlife habitat.

Mount Ainslie — the 842m Mount Ainslie summit walk from ANZAC Parade takes approximately 45 minutes each way and delivers one of the best views of Walter Burley Griffin's planned city geometry, with the Parliamentary Triangle and Lake Burley Griffin perfectly aligned below.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve — located 40 minutes from central Canberra, Tidbinbilla offers koala and platypus habitat, wallaby grasslands, and walking trails in a setting far more accessible than most wildlife reserves. Platypus are regularly seen at the Sanctuary wetlands at dusk.

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