Description of the attraction
Namaji National Park is located in the southwest of the Australian Capital Territory, 40 km from Canberra. The park borders the Kostsyushko National Park in New South Wales.
The park was founded in 1984, and on its territory of 106 thousand hectares, the amazing granite rocks of the northern ends of the Australian Alps are protected. The ecosystems of the park are very diverse - from vast grassy plains in the valleys to eucalyptus forests and alpine meadows on the mountain slopes. The fauna of the park is no less diverse: eastern gray kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Australian magpies, rosella parrots and crows live here. A unique huge tree is growing in the Naas Valley, which is called the Natural Residence - about 400 species of Australian birds, bats and mammals have made nests, hollows and minks in it.
In this subalpine region, it is very cold in winter, but in summer there are mostly warm days, but the weather changes unpredictably quickly. Snow usually only falls on the Bimbury and Brindabella ranges. Bimbury Peak (1,911 meters) is the tallest mountain in the Australian Capital Territory. And the primeval area with the same name - Bimbury - occupies one third of the park in its western part on the border with New South Wales. You can admire this area rugged by deep valleys from the Ginini and Franklin mountains or from the Yerrabi hiking trail, which starts 36 km south of the Namaji Visitor Center.
The word "namadzhi" the ngunnawal aborigines call the mountain range southwest of Canberra, where primitive tools and rock paintings were found, which are more than 21 thousand years old. These places are considered sacred by the Ngunnawal people, where they find a connection with their ancestors. Here you can visit the Cave of Moths, where the tribe gathered, and Mount Tidbinbilla, the site of the initiation ceremony for young men.
Here you can also find traces of European influence: agriculture, forestry, ski resorts and even the space industry - all this was present in the territory of "Namadzhi" over the years. In order to get acquainted with the life of the first inhabitants of these places, in the southern part of the park there is a 9-kilometer Trail of the Settlers, which passes through several historical sites - huts and peasant yards, hedges and cattle corrals. One of the interesting places is the Gudgenby wooden house in the valley of the same name. The house was built in 1927 and today gives an opportunity to look into the past of the European peasants who lived in these places. Here you can also follow the path of Kiandra, which was followed by the gold miners to the Gadjenby valley. Or take the Orrorral Trail to the old Apollo tracking station in the Orroral Valley, where the first images of American astronaut Neil Armstrong were captured walking on the Moon!
The most popular way to explore the park is to walk along one of the hiking trails, which are about 160 km long! But you can get around here by bike and horse, and in winter - on skis.
On November 7, 2008, Namaji National Park was inscribed on the Australian National Treasure List as one of the 11 Conservation Areas of the Australian Alps.
