In addition to solo hiker, YouTuber, and ecologist, Kate Grarock has added ‘ultimate tour guide’ to her resume after showing Explorer Sophie her most beloved spots in the nation’s capital. We Are Explorers acknowledge that this adventure is located...
In addition to solo hiker, YouTuber, and ecologist, Kate Grarock has added ‘ultimate tour guide’ to her resume after showing Explorer Sophie her most beloved spots in the nation’s capital.
We Are Explorers acknowledge that this adventure is located on the traditional Country where the Ngunnawal, Ngunawal, and Ngambri peoples have cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.
Located a cruisey three-hour drive from Sydney and a 6.5-hour drive from Melbourne, the Australian Capital Territory sits nestled between chains of mountains, loosely bordered by the Brindabella Ranges and the Great Dividing Range.
This means the capital has struck gold with an incredibly diverse climate throughout the year, as well as a huge range of biodiversity in its flora and fauna. With dry warmer months and sometimes (if you’re lucky) snow during winter, you can throw a dart at the calendar and wherever it lands will be the perfect time to visit Canberra.
‘I absolutely love living in Canberra, it’s surrounded by nature but still has all the joys of a city’, says Kate.
Canberra’s surrounding nature is heavily underrated
Last year, the nation was glued to its screens when Dr Kate Grarock took on the wilderness of Tasmania as a contestant on the much-anticipated Alone Australia reality show on SBS.
After conquering 22 days of freezing conditions, isolation, and (who can forget) the world’s oiliest eel (don’t watch this episode while eating dinner), Kate got to return home to her family in Canberra.
If you haven’t caught up yet, you can watch Alone Australia on SBS and listen to our beloved Tim interview Kate following her appearance on the show, on the We Are Explorers Podcast.
Kate took me on a personalised tour of Canberra and I documented all her favourite places to visit (and naturally, there’s plenty of adventure involved).
Let’s crack into it!
1. Coffee at Café Stepping Stone
Just as sourcing freshwater on Alone is the priority when you’re first deployed, starting a day of exploring means sourcing caffeine is the first item on the list. Kate suggested this gorgeous place in Dickson, about a ten-minute drive from the CBD.
Now that’s what I’m talking about
Cafe Stepping Stone is a work integration social enterprise café that employs and trains migrant and refugee women from diverse backgrounds through an innovative vegetarian kitchen.
After the first location in Strathnairn thrived, a brand-new location in the central hub of Dickson was opened.
The friendly staff make stopping by for brekky a really warm and wholesome experience, and the level of care that goes into the house-made goods (bread, brownies, slices, cookies, and cakes) is unmatched.
My suggestions: Depending on the weather, grab a chia pudding, smoothie bowl, or mushies on toast alongside a coconut nectar-infused sticky chai.
Non-negotiable: The Everything Cookie – a little snack for the road that’s made up of all the off-cuts from the other bakery treats. Perfect for during and after your hikes. Not kidding… I’d drive back there just for these cookies.
2. Walk in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
After we got our caffeine fix and grabbed a ridiculous amount of baked goods, we headed to the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
Situated a 45-minute drive from the Canberra CBD, and on the outskirts of the Namadgi National Park, the winding drive to Tidbinbilla was spectacular in itself. As we munched on cookies, Kate gave me a generous open Q&A about the area and her experience on Alone, so the time flew by.
‘So back to the palatability of boiled eel…’
Please note! Due to construction, the visitor centre is currently being updated which means our entry was free! Just plan ahead and note the opening hours of the reserve itself and that mobile phone reception is limited out there.
The Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve dates back to the late 30s when land was originally set aside as a koala reserve and is now part of the National Heritage List.
It boasts a big choice of short walks, anything between 15 minutes and five hours! Most of them are very accessible and not too hard on the legs.
We set off in the Sanctuary Precinct and chose the Black Flats Dam trail and Sanctuary Loop; an easy, half-hour stroll.
Kate let us know that there was platypus research happening here, and she often spots them with her daughter Juno and partner Elsie.
Because the reserve is so well protected, it’s become a breeding ground where many endangered species have been able to thrive without threat. You won’t be strolling long before the sounds of frogs, lyrebirds, and cockatoos fill the air.
We stumbled upon a huge swan nest with large eggs to which Kate remarked: ‘Geez, that would be a good feed!’. Yet for today we thankfully stuck to the cookies.
You might even sight sunbathing reptiles and, if you’re lucky, the top tier finds: platypus, echidna, and koala. Don’t forget to keep quiet, avoid touching any of the wildlife, and keep your eyes and ears peeled!
3. Wander Through the National Museum of Australia
Please note! Parts of the exhibition display names, images, and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Next up was a place I was WAY too keen for: The National Museum of Australia and its Great Southern Land gallery, which awakens your curiosity for the natural history of Australia.
Sitting like an art installation itself, the museum is situated smack dab in the middle of Canberra on the waterfront of Lake Burley Griffin.
Whether it’s the exhibit or the view – the National Museum of Aus will catch your eye
Entry to this particular exhibition is free! To begin, you’re guided through the Bunya infinity forest to start the tour of the gallery, then greeted with the best kind of rich, sensory overload and an eclectically extensive collection (say that ten times fast) of rocks, minerals, shells, and fossils.
You could spend hours winding through the maze of historical artefacts, written stories, antique tools, and artworks.
There are also endless preserved real specimens in the ecology displays including penguins, platypus, whale bones, and our favourite: the extinct Thylacine/Tasmanian Tiger.
Moving through to the First Australians exhibition, Kate and I were particularly interested in the vast displays of fishing and hunting tools and traps.
Admiring ancient craftsmanship
There were breathtaking handwoven fish and even eel traps that held all observers in reverent silence.
‘That’s better than anything I’ve made’, noted Kate.
The complexity and skills involved in this area of the museum moved us all. It’s a must-see display of First Nations’ rich culture and connection to Country.
4. Stroll Through a Rainforest in the Australian National Botanic Gardens
After lunch, we dropped into the inspiring Australian National Botanic Gardens where, I promise you, air has never been so fresh. Also a ten-minute drive from the CBD, the gardens are home to over 4,500 species of fauna as well as many birds and pollinators that roam the trees.
Early December was Monarch butterfly hatching season, so every step around these gardens made you feel like you were in Attenborough doco.
Please note! Entry is once again free (how good is Canberra!) however, a small parking fee still applies in the gardens car park.
Kate’s office is actually within these gardens, so she frequents the Rainforest Walk during her workday breaks and was proud to walk us through it.
As we went down into the gully, I could feel a huge drop in temperature within only a few metres. The walk put on a show with insane rays of filtered light and incredible greenery, featuring tropical species from all sections of the East Coast of Australia.
Stay on track though! It’s easy to lose yourself in the jungle (emotionally) here.
5. Beers at Bar Rochford
We stopped in for a quick beer and house-made sourdough at Bar Rochford, a cocktail bar that takes food and wine to a whole other level. The entry door is subtle and tucked away within the CBD. Blink and you’ll miss it (but you definitely don’t want to!).
This is for research purposes only of course
6. Hike Mount Majura for Sunset
For the last hour of light, Kate took us to hike up Mount Majura and showed us some awesome edible plants along the way. The hike between Mount Majura and Mount Ainslie is about 6km and takes about 1.5 hours or just over 3 hours if you’re completing the full loop!
My suggestion for a quick sunset hike is to walk a few kilometres up to the mountain summit and take in the sun setting over Canberra, through the native trees and flowers.
If your legs have given out at this point, no fear, you can also drive up to Mount Ainslie Lookout for a crazy view of the whole city and surrounding mountainscape.
A scenic place to get your bearings
This is where you’ll find a section of The Centenary Trail, a 145km loop that we’ll tick off another day! For now, our tummies were rumbling.
This is a place where Kate said she could feel that ‘the birds and the plants are happy’ and when you’re up here in golden hour, you can feel it too. We got to snack on some native cherries (of course, under the trustful eye of Kate) and that held us over until dinner.
Read more: Where to Hike and Camp in Canberra
7. Dinner at Flavours of Ethiopia
As an extra reward, Kate scooted us over to Allara Street for the best food of the trip: curries from Flavours of Ethiopia. A great opportunity to share plates with mates and eat with your hands. This is something no one mentioned to me about Canberra – the diversity of food options is absolutely out of this world.
Yum-mo
It’s a great opportunity to try new cuisines and flavours you haven’t before and to get to know the restaurant staff.
‘I love getting out to a local nature reserve or going for a hike in the surrounding areas. But it’s the people that make Canberra special. I love being part of the community,’ Kate says.
Canberra’s community is what makes this city so special
After bidding Kate farewell, we dusted off our boots and left with a whole new respect for the natural world in the ACT. Her connection to the living world and her knowledge of the wildlife in her own backyard showed us how important it is to support and protect these areas.
Canberra has carefully curated many immersive experiences for the public to enjoy without cost. It was a pleasure to be an honorary Canberran with Dr Kate Grarock for the day.
And mark my words, I’ll be back for those Everything Cookies!
Photos thanks to @mikaylaatkins