Bushwalking ACT and Beyond  

Finding the Namadgi Trail

A Documentary

A Journey of Connection and Discovery

 

The Namadgi Trail is nothing new. It has existed for thousands of years, allowing the traditional landowners of this country to follow ancestral routes into the mountains for various ceremonies, and for hunting and gathering at particular times during the annual seasonal cycle.

 

Those routes, perhaps many now forgotten, have not disappeared. They are still there, and they will always hold immense spiritual and cultural significance to the local Aboriginal people. It’s this very spirit that lives on today, and is, to a certain extent, shared by others.

 

As a gentle breeze descends from the mountains, lightly touching the valley floor, it transitions through woodlands, caressing grasslands, as it has done for thousands of years. It is a nurturing breeze, one that brings messages from the past, from those who have previously travelled the Namadgi Trails. It calls to those of adventurous spirit. It speaks to those who are regular visitors, those who sometimes visit, and those who are yet to visit.

 

Although all have their own stories to tell, it is perhaps hard to define in any particular way, the reasons why people are drawn to Namadgi. Perhaps it’s because the area is so rich in history, perhaps because of its natural beauty, or perhaps, it’s an escape from the reality of every day life, a chance to relax, enveloping ones self in the peaceful tranquility of a well protected and managed National Park.

 

But for some, Namadgi is more than a National Park. It is an important part of their life. For those people, their journey is very personal, one that has had a profound impact upon them, and others.

 

There is an obvious reason why Canberra is known as the ‘Bush Capital’ boasting many natural wonders in the surrounding area. Namadgi itself is just 30 kilometres south of Canberra, nestled in the southern tip of the Australian Capital Territory where it forms part of the great alpine region of Australia .

 

Join us on this journey, a journey that will take us nearly 300 kilometres through Namadgi, deep into its wilderness areas in search of the Namadgi Trail. We’ll meet the people who have made Namadgi what it is today, take you back in time, share stories of tradition, adventure, courage and enlightenment, from those that have found their very own Namadgi Trail.