I have done this drive a number of times - a good day trip for visitors to Canberra. The circuit I'm describing I've done in an Isuzu MU-X, although parts I've done in a Nissan X Trail.
We drove out at 11am on Cotter Road and Brindabella Road into Namadgi NP and through Picadilly Circus to the junction with Gentle Annie Trail, which is about 5km past Picadilly to the north side of Brindabella Road. Gentle Annie is a 4WD only track, with a steep descent into the Goodradigbee Valley. I have done it numerous times in a Nissan X Trail in the past but wouldn't try it in the wet.
At the bottom of Gentle Annie is the Flea Creek Campground with toilets and a picnic bench right on the river with excellent swimming, fishing, photography and hiking opportunities. We spent about an hour here for lunch.
After lunch we climbed out of the valley on Webbs Ridge Road to the north. The first few kilometres are very steep, very rocky and with a lot of tight turns. I have seen video of people doing this track in an X Trail (http://baustralianxtrail.runboard.com/t130559) - but I would not be game. I stalled the MU-X in 4H and had to shift down to 4L. The river is at about 500m elevation and within about 600 linear metres you've hit 700m and by within 3 kilometres you've hit 950m. Great fun and not technical but you need to be prepared for it.
Webbs Ridge settles down after that and it's a pretty straight forward run up to Dingi Dingi Ridge Trail to the east after about 9 kilometres. Dingi Dingi is fairly easy as well with a few steep and rock ascents and descents. After about 5 kilometres we came out on Two Sticks Road and headed south. Two Sticks is a veritable highway and could be driven by AWD vehicles across it's entire length.
A quick 4 kilometre run south and Coree Summit Road turns off to the east. There are toilets here as well at the Coree Base Campgound. Coree Summit Road is steep, extremely rocky and has plenty of hairpins, but if approached sensibly it's not too hard. I've got the X Trail up there numerous times and the day we went up there last a family had got an old Subaru station wagon to the summit. The summit gives spectacular 360 degree views across Canberra, Tidbinbilla and Cotter valleys to the east, the Brindabella Range to the south, and the Flea Creek and Goodradigbee River valleys out to Tumut and Wee Jasper to the west. It is an amazing sight.
After a short while for gawking and photographs, it was back into the car and down the mountain, turning north on Pabral Road. This is an easy drive down to Brindabella Road again and we drove back to Canberra via Uriarra Crossing just for something different. (For something different, you could go back to Brindabella Road by turning south back on Two Sticks, and you would then have essentially circumnavigated the Flea Creek/Tumbledown Creek basin).
We got back on the dot of 5:00pm, so the whole trip was six hours with an hour for lunch and a few other brief stops for photos and leg stretching. All in all an easy drive that will impress guests and newcomers to Canberra with a taste of the Brindabellas.
User ID | Log | Vehicle | Date |
---|---|---|---|
14189 | Toyota FJ Cruiser | Jun 27, 2015 | |
26993 | Did this about 2 days ago in Toyota LC200 series, great drive and no difficulties. Awesome views from top of Mt Coree ! | Toyota Landcruiser | Jan 4, 2015 |
24479 | Isuzu Mu | Dec 14, 2014 |