Australian Hiker

Closest Town

Tharwa, ACT

Starting Location

Yankee Hat trailhead carpark

Finish Location

Yankee Hat trailhead carpark

Best time of the year to travel

Year round although in Spring you get the wildflowers on the grassy plains

Yankee Hat Track Review

The Yankee Hat trail is a good opportunity to see Aboriginal rock art within a relatively short distance from the city. This is an easy walk with only some minor steepness and the walking surface is either flattened grass, constructed boardwalks, or compressed crushed granite so is suitable of all levels of able bodied walkers. The carpark is well laid out and the trailhead contains toilet facilities as well as a picnic table. The open grassed area immediately at the start of the walk is home to large mob of Kangaroos  and if you start the walk early in the morning they are usually right by the carpark taking advantage of the early morning sun. While a popular walk in the Canberra region it is also one of the best kept secrets with most locals being unaware of its existence. As a result the start of the trail is in very good condition. The trail is well laid out and seems to meander until you realise that you are circumnavigating a swamp.

The rock art site is contained within the tree line of the Bimberi Wilderness and has good interpretive signage around a constructed timber gallery which is also a good area to take a break. The trail itself is just over 6km long an although the recommended trip time is 2.5 hours fit regular walkers will only take about 90 minutes. This is a good option for those looking for an easy walk as well as being a good place to take visiting tourists to see Aboriginal rock art

Trail marker

Kangaroos are usually present near the start of the trail

Toilet located at the trail head.

The trail varies between being out under the tree line with the majority in the open.

Signage at the turnoff to Yankee Hat. From this point on the road is unsealed

Aboriginal rock art. This site contains a viewing platform and explanatory signage

There is usually plenty of wildflowers around during the spring time.

At different times of the year various wildflowers out out along the edge of the trail

When starting the trail it seems strange that you don’t head in a straight line however you soon realise that you are traveling around a swamp

The start of the Bimberi Wilderness. The rock art site is just on the edge of the wilderness area and the terrain changes quite dramatically from open plains with some tress to dense vegetation.

Getting There

Map from Google maps showing directions to the Yankee Hat carpark from the Tharwa Bridge

This site is approximately 1 hours driving from the centre of Canberra. Head south along the Tuggeranong Parkway, past the Lanyon Homestead and though the village of Tharwa. The site itself is in the Namadgi National Park towards the end of Old Boboyan Road with the last section of the road being being unsealed. Access to this site is relatively easy however be aware that after heavy rains you will need a 4WD for access.

Things to know

• There is no reliable phone signal in this area
• Don’t take a car that has low ground clearance particularly after it has rained as you may need to cross 30-40cm+ of water one particular road section
• Pay attention to the trail when off the sealed roads as the potholes can be hard to spot

Water crossing to a from the trail head. If there has been heavy rains you may not get over and sometimes the road will be closed

Disclaimer

This walk was undertaken by the team from Australian Hiker

Shares