O'Connor Ridge 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

13 25 00

O'Connor Ridge Nature Reserve is a 57-hectare protected area adjoining Bruce Ridge Nature Reserve to the south.

O'Connor Ridge is part of an extensive area of forest and woodland that includes 6 other closely connected Canberra Nature Park reserves:

These reserves are in turn very closely connected with the Molonglo River Reserve (across William Hovell Drive) which is itself connected with all the reserves of the Murrumbidgee River Corridor. Linked areas of native vegetation enable the interaction and movement of certain wildlife species across the landscape.

Cycling is permitted only on management trails and on the Centenary Trail.

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

Horses are not allowed.

Natural values

O'Connor Ridge Nature Reserve protects:

part of the dry forest vegetation complex found in the Black Mountain area, which has high plant diversity including many orchid species
habitat for woodland wildlife including threatened and regionally declining bird species
an area of critically endangered Yellow Box–Blakely's Red Gum Grassy Woodland

O’Connor Ridge 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

Dogs on-leash
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
Horses prohibited
Metal detector use prohibited
Trailbikes prohibited except on public roads

Dogs are permitted on-leash on a track or trail only
Cycling is permitted only on management trails and on the Centenary Trail

Ngunnawal Country and People

O'Connor Ridge 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 4 Aboriginal heritage sites within O'Connor Ridge Nature Reserve. The reserve likely protects other, as-yet-unrecorded Aboriginal heritage sites.

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

Beginning in the 1850s, European settlers began 'selecting' land in what became known as 'Upper Canberra'. Long blocks of land, laid out in an east-west direction, traversed the country northward from Black Mountain, towards Gungahlin. Settlers included the Southwell, Shumack and Maloney families, whose names remain familiar in the ACT.

An old quarry site at the northern end of the reserve that was subsequently used as a rubbish tip has been rehabilitated.

O'Connor Ridge 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 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

O'Connor Ridge Nature Reserve is most easily accessed from Dryandra Street, O'Connor.

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