Australian Hiker

Nearest Town

The closest suburb to the trailhead is Fadden, ACT

Starting Location

There are a few different locations where you can start this walk from but we suggest the route we used which starts from the top of Decker Place in the suburb of Fadden

Finish Location

Decker Place in the suburb of Fadden

Best Time of the Year to Walk

Year round

Mount Wanniassa Summit Walk Review

For some reason this walk had slipped off my list of hikes and it was only when we included it as part of our 81.6 km Canberra Summits Walk that we decided to revisit the summit as a standalone walk. We need a reason to do summit walks and in this case it was because this summit provides unique views into the Tuggeranong Valley including the suburbs immediately below.

While Mount Wanniassa can be reached from a number of different starting points, we chose and recommend, for a couple of reasons, the access point at the top of Decker Place in Fadden. Firstly you have the option of walking on the bitumen track that runs around the top of the suburb before making the ascent up the hill which is an easier option. In our case we headed off the bitumen track and chose to approach the summit from the small ridge above the bitumen track. This unnamed secondary summit provides some unique views and adds a bit more physicality to the walk while still not adding a huge distance to the overall walk.

Start your walk by heading to the top of Decker Place and as you pass the houses you will see a dirt track that goes through another gate and which takes you up to the secondary summit before heading down to the saddle and then back up to the main summit. The walk to the Mount Wanniassa summit is on a wide dirt management road and the actual ascent isn’t overly long. The summit is reached fairly quickly and the TRIG marker is fairly obvious.

Mount Wanniassa provides a very unique set of views down into the suburb if Fadden below which is almost tucked into its own little valley as well as views over towards Tuggeranong Hill and further south towards Mount Rob Roy, Big Monks and beyond to Mount Tennent located in Namadgi National Park.

Wildfire and wildflowers are limited on the walk although along the way we passed a remnant tree with some obvious hollows and a pair of nesting Cockatoos. Once you have spent your time taking in the views you can make your way back down – you can either do a direct return the way you came or in our case we dropped down onto the bitumen walking track on the way back which provides a different, more suburban experience before returning to the car. If you’re feeling enthusiastic you can make the longer return by continuing around the valley and then back through the suburbs to return to you car.

I wouldn’t say this is a spectacular walk but it is definitely one worth doing at least once. If you happen to live in that part of the world, this is a great regular walk and one that welcomes dogs on leashes.

Back to the trailhead for Mount Wanniassa Summit Walk

Gate at the end of Decker Place

Pick a direction. Go left for better views or go right for an easier walk to the summit

Through the gate to head up the lower hill

Views walking up the lower hill

Cockatoo nesting in a remnant tree

Down the lower hill and heading towards Mount Wanniassa

Saddle gate, our intended return direction

Up Mount Wanniassa

Approaching the summit

Panorama view from Mount Wanniassa summit

Heading down from Mount Wanniassa

Down onto the bitumen path

Back towards the car

Walking above the suburb

Back to the trail gate

Back to the trailhead of the Mount Wanniassa Summit Walk

Trail video

This short video contains photos and videos to show you the walk from start to finish

Getting There

Close up of map to trailhead which is around 23 minutes form the Canberra GPO and a 20 minute car drive away

Things to know

• Phone: There is good phone signal on this trail (Telstra)
• Water: You need to bring your own water
• Toilets: There are no toilets on this trail
• Trail: This walk is on a combination of dirt management road/trail and bitumen surface
• Dogs: Dogs allowed on leash
• Other: 
  • Bring adequate shade (hat, long sleeves etc) in the hotter months
  • No camping is allowed on this trail

Disclaimer

This walk was undertaken by the team from Australian Hiker

Shares