Mount Painter Nature Reserve

For after hours urgent public health matters including environmental health, radiation safety, food poisoning and communicable disease management phone:

1800 022 222

ACT State Emergency Service

Emergency help
during flood or storms

Mount Painter Nature Reserve is a 93-hectare protected area in the southern part of the District of Belconnen. Mount Painter lies on the Ginninderra–Molonglo divide and provides great views over both northern Canberra and the Molonglo River valley.

The reserve is a key component in an extensive landscape of remnant woodland vegetation, enabling wildlife movement across country stretching from O'Connor Ridge and Black Mountain nature reserves to its east, to The Pinnacle Nature Reserve and Molonglo River Reserve immediately to its west and south, and the reserves along the Murrumbidgee River further west.

The National Trail passes through the reserve.

Horse riding is permitted only on marked equestrian trails.

Cycling is permitted only on management trails and sealed, shared trails.

Dogs are permitted on-leash on a track or trail only.

Natural values

Mount Painter Nature Reserve protects:

critically endangered Yellow Box–Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland
habitat for plants that are rare in the ACT – including the 'wildflower triangle', an area of about 10 hectares (across Bindubi Street from Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve) with great woodland bird habitat and high plant diversity
habitat for the vulnerable Perunga Grasshopper (Perunga ochracea)

Friends of Mount Painter have been active since 1989, with regular volunteer environmental activities including weed and erosion control, tree and shrub planting, rabbit burrow mapping and kangaroo population monitoring.

Mount Painter Nature Reserve is protected under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. Thank you for taking care of the natural environment.

Add a sighting to the NatureMapr or visit the Canberra Birds website.

Things to do

Activities

Features

NO BINS – take your rubbish with you
Walking track/s

Restricted or prohibited

Aircraft landing/take-off prohibited
Camping prohibited
Chainsaw use prohibited
Domestic animals (other than dogs) prohibited
Off-road driving prohibited
Driving on management trails prohibited
Drone use prohibited
Fires prohibited
Wood and timber collection prohibited
Metal detector use prohibited
Trailbikes prohibited except on public roads

Dogs are permitted on-leash on a track or trail only
Horse riding is permitted only on marked equestrian trails
Cycling is permitted only on management trails and sealed, shared trails

Ngunnawal Country and People

Mount Painter Nature Reserve is located on Ngunnawal Country, an ancient and diverse landscape managed and cared for by Ngunnawal people for tens of thousands of years.

For time immemorial Ngunnawal people have maintained a tangible and intangible cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to these lands and waters.

The ACT Heritage Register lists one Aboriginal heritage site within Mount Painter Nature Reserve. It is likely that other as-yet-unrecorded sites are also protected within the reserve.

All Aboriginal places and objects in the ACT are protected under the Heritage Act 2004 and must not be disturbed. Aboriginal places and objects within reserves are additionally protected under the Nature Conservation Act 2014. Anyone finding an (unregistered) Aboriginal object or place has an obligation to report it to the Heritage Council.

European heritage

The remnants of a hut belonging to early settler Roderick McDonald is located close to the reserve boundary in the adjacent horse paddock.

Orchards once occupied some of the area and included plum, pear, apple and walnut trees.

Mount Painter was known as 'Round Hill' in the early days of pastoral settlement. Entering the reserve via the laneway on Skinner Street in Cook affords an insight into the pastoral era with a clear view of the historic slab hut, Rosebud Cottage.

Mount Painter Nature Reserve was established in 1993.

Before you go/How to get there

Before you go

Prepare by understanding safety and checking alerts.

Respect Canberra Nature Park reserves by:

staying on the tracks to minimise your impact
taking your rubbish home with you
leaving what you find, including plants, animals, rocks and timber (dead and alive)
respecting our heritage - leave cultural sites undisturbed
riding safely and following trail etiquette as a horse rider
riding safely and following trail etiquette as a bicycle rider
collecting and responsibly disposing of your dog's droppings (where dogs are permitted)
cleaning your outdoor gear, including bicycles, to avoid spreading weeds and disease

Remember:

bring your own drinking water
carry a mobile phone, especially if you are on your own
let someone know where you are going and when you'll return
be bushfire alert - on total fire ban days some reserves may be closed

How to get there

Mount Painter Nature Reserve can be accessed from Coulter Drive to the west. There are a number of pedestrian access points in the suburb of Cook on Skinner Street and Bindubi Street.

Boundary mapping is indicative only.

More information

If you notice any issues during your visit:

report maintenance issues to Access Canberra
report vandalism or other illegal activities to the police on 131 444
in an emergency, call 000

Find out about:

In a life threatening emergency dial Triple Zero (000)

triple zero 000

5124 0000

6201 6111

1800 629 354

6205 1065

13 11 26

5124 9977

(02) 6205 1700