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Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve borders Namadgi National Park in the south east of the ACT and covers an area of approximately 5500 hectares. The reserve comprises a large valley floor, the Tidbinbilla mountain range and the Gibraltar range. The lower slopes and partly cleared valley floor reflect the history of Aboriginal and European use of the area, whereas ecosystems on the heavily forested and steep sides of the Tidbinbilla Valley are relatively undisturbed.

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National Park are joined to the northern section of Kosciusko National Park in NSW and together these parks and reserves form the northern part of the Australian Alps. Tidbinbilla also has boundaries with ACT Forests, rural lessees and the Birrigai Outdoor Education Centre.

Recreation

Tidbinbilla provides a gradation of recreation experiences from the relative comfort of a family barbecue in a highly managed setting through to an adventure experience where a high level of competence in outdoor and navigational skills is required.

The experiences available at Tidbinbilla may be undertaken on an independent basis, or visitors may take advantage of the ranger guided activities that are available. Specific environmental educational programs are also offered.

The Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre provides a great introduction to the Reserve. Friendly staff will help you plan your day. Ask about guided walks and special events. There are hands on displays to explore, an interactive computer program on Tidbinbilla's birds and live animal displays. The gift shop sells an interesting range of clothes, toys, books, cards and souvenirs. Coffee and light refreshments are available.

Recreational opportunities include:

Special events may be accommodated within Tidbinbilla where the environmental impact of such events is not significant, e.g. cross-country running, orienteering, etc.

Prohibited activities include camping, fishing, horse riding, car rallies, off-road 4WD activities and trail bike riding. Dogs, cats and other pets are not permitted except for guide dogs. Firearms are not permitted.

Vegetation

Within Tidbinbilla there are seven main vegetation community groups:

  1. Sub-alpine slopes
  2. Lower slopes and valley floor
  3. Northern valley slopes
  4. Upper central valley and southern valley slopes
  5. Herbaceous species, tea-tree and grass trees derived from cleared forests
  6. Plantations, Australian trees and shrubs
  7. Plantations, orchards, gardens and occasional trees associated with old homestead sites and staff houses.

The sub-alpine vegetation community of Tidbinbilla occurs within the altitudinal range of 1220-1600m. It is dominated by snow gum, Eucalyptus pauciflora, with a range of shrubs Oxylobium spp., Olearia spp., Acacia spp., Leptospermum spp., grasses Poa spp. and herbs Euphrasia spp., Geranium spp. in the understorey. Although rainfall is greater on the ridge tops than the valley floor, the wind and steep, stony, slopes reduce the effectiveness of the rainfall, resulting in a rather dry and cold sub-alpine environment. E. pauciflora may occur in patches on the valley floor where cold air settles and sometimes occurs with black sallee, E. stellulata, in moister sites and candlebark, E. rubida, towards its lower limit.

The vegetation of Tidbinbilla is strongly influenced by the actions of the European people who settled the valley from the 1880s. The valley floor was cleared to accommodate livestock and crops and the forests were logged for building materials, eucalyptus oil and timber. This continued until the area was resumed to form the Reserve in the 1960s.

There are two species of threatened plants in Tidbinbilla, the king fernTodea barbaraand austral toadflax Thesium austral. King ferns, a plant of the eastern coast, are in the western extremity of their range in the ACT and are known in only 6 locations. Four of these sites are outside Tidbinbilla. The remaining two locations are close to Mt Domain. Austral toadflax occurs in two sites within Tidbinbilla and is extremely insignificant in appearance. It is a root parasite that is associated with kangaroo grass, Themeda australis, and often grows in wet areas.

Animals

Tidbinbilla provides habitat for a wide range of native vertebrate fauna including one hundred and sixty four bird species; a variety of reptiles, fish and amphibians and a diversity of mammals including several bat species. Tidbinbilla also includes a site that serves as a shelter or staging site for the bogong moth in October to November.

Visitors can often see eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, swamp wallabies, cockatoos and the occasional emu, which were introduced to the area. Regular spotlight surveys have shown that the brush-tail possum, ring-tail possum and greater glider have survived the January 2003 bushfires.

Tidbinbilla also plays an important role in captive wildlife management, in particular the captive breeding program for the endangered northern corroboree frog and the brush-tailed rock-wallaby.

Brush-tailed Rock-wallabies have not been seen in the wild at Tidbinbilla since 1959. They are believed to be extinct in the wild in ACT and are critically endangered in Victoria. Tidbinbilla is part of a recovery team that is contributing to the survival of the Victorian brush-tailed rock-wallaby populations. Tidbinbilla also maintains a captive colony of NSW brush-tailed rock-wallaby.

Northern corroboree frogs live exclusively in the subalpine areas of the ACT and adjacent parts of NSW. They are currently under threat of extinction. To help ensure their long term survival eggs have been collected from the wild in Namadgi National Park and successfully reared in captivity at Tidbinbilla.

Cultural heritage

Tidbinbilla is well known for its rich Aboriginal and European heritage. Numerous sites with a high significance are found throughout the reserve.

Aboriginal heritage

Tidbinbilla is recognised as a highly significant Aboriginal place with the highest density of artefacts found in the ACT. Evidence of Aboriginal occupation in Tidbinbilla includes open artefact scatters, prehistoric rock shelters and other sites of significance. The most important sites are Birrigai Rock Shelter, Bogong Cave and Tidbinbilla Mountain.

Birrigai Rock Shelter
 This site can be visited by walking the Birrigai Time Trail. The shelter is the oldest Aboriginal site known in the ACT region and is about 21, 000 years old.

Bogong Rocks
The Bogong Shelter contains the oldest evidence of Aboriginal occupation at a bogong moth resting or staging site in Tidbinbilla. The bogong moth was an important seasonal food source for Aboriginals.

Tidbinbilla Mountain
It is believed that this site was used for initiation ceremonies and was sacred to the local Aboriginal people. The name Tidbinbilla is a corruption of ‘jedbinbilla’, an Aboriginal name which means ‘where boys become men’.

European Heritage

Tidbinbilla has very high historical and social values of European heritage. The importance of Tidbinbilla is reflected in its listing on the Register of the National Estate. Tidbinbilla contains excellent examples of early rural structures and equipment and many sites can be visited along several walking trails.

Two examples of European cultural heritage are the remains of Nil Desperandum and Rock Valley Homestead. They were built in the 1890’s using rammed earth and remained intact until the January 2003 bushfires. Tidbinbilla are working towards preserving and restoring (where appropriate) the remains of these pise buildings.

Geology and geomorphology

The geological history of Tidbinbilla dates back to the Ordovician period of between 500 and 450 million years ago. At that time the area was inundated by sea and marine sediments were deposited. These sediments became consolidated into sedimentary rocks and were uplifted above sea level to form a land surface. Molten magma intruded into the sedimentary rocks (forming granite). As the granite cooled fractures and joints formed. Quatrz and aplite veins was injected along some of these joints.

Granite was exposed about 30 million years ago when most of the sedimentary rocks were removed by weathering. Rapid weathering of the granite and subsequent drainage pattern lead to the formation of the various granite tors and the Tidbinbilla Valley.

Rocks of three ages are to be found in Tidbinbilla. Those forming the oldest group are located in the north-west corner of the reserve (500-450 million years old). They consist of sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, shale and chert (a hard, smooth-textured rock composed predominantly of quartz).

The second group of rocks was formed 450-400 million years ago. Examples occur on the highest part of the Tidbinbilla Range. They consist of sandstone, breccia (composed of angular rock fragments) and small amounts of limestone and shale. Collectively they are known as the Tidbinbilla Quartzite.

The third group of rocks is composed mainly of granite formed when magma was intruded into the sedimentary rocks about 400 million years ago. This granite is exposed on the valley floor and on the Gibraltar Range

More information about Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre
Tidbinbiall Nature Reserve
Phone: +61 2 6205 1233

Website: http://www.environment.act.gov.au/bushparksandreserves/tidbinbilla.html