CANBERRA TO THE COAST
Stage 1: Canberra to Majors Creek

Mist on the road to Majors Creek

Route: Canberra, Queanbeyan, Captains Flat, Majors Creek. Possible deviations to Berlang Camping Area, Lowden Forest Park and Braidwood.
Distance: Minimum 93 km.
Online Map: Canberra to the Coast (Map 1) - Canberra to Moruya.

Canberra to Queanbeyan (13 km)
Canberra, as the capital of Australia, has many sights to see and places to visit, most of which or free or inexpensive. As Australia's only planned city, it also has an excellent cycle network. If you plan to spend a few days in Canberra, then purchasing The Canberra and Queanbeyan Cycling and Walking Map is thoroughly recommended. These are available in bicycle shops and many newsagencies throughout the ACT a cost about $9. An online version is here.

Accommodation in Canberra can be expensive and hard to find at certain times of the year (for example, during the spring Floriade festival). Conveniently located for this cycle tour, the Canberra City YHA and Canberra South Motor Park are two cheaper accommodation options. The latter has tent sites.

To cycle from Canberra to Queanbeyan, the general idea to use the off-road cycleway that runs beside Canberra Avenue between Fyshwick (one of Canberra's eastern suburbs) and Queanbeyan. The route from the city (Civic) is described below.

1. From Civic, cycle south along the Northbourne Ave cycle lane.
2. The cycle lane naturally flows into the shared cycleway/footpath across Commonwealth Avenue Bridge.
3. After crossing the lake, take the first ramp off the bridge to the left.
4. Head south-east for 2 to 3km along the cycleway that skirts around the lake edge. There are good views of Australian Parliament House, the War Memorial and Mt Ainslie along the way.
5. At Bowen Park, make your way to Wentworth Avenue (the nearest road that runs parallel to the foreshore) and cycle south-east along the Wentworth Avenue cycle lane. (Note: the bicycle network is currently being extended in this area. Once finished the stretch along Wentworth Ave can probably be avoided by following the foreshore as far as Kingston and then joining a connecting route to Canberra Ave.)
6. The cycle lane becomes an off-road cycleway (still running alongside Wentworth Ave) and, next to the large roundabout, naturally flows into the Canberra Avenue off-road cycleway.
7. Continue south-east along the Canberra Avenue Cycleway. (Canberra South Motor Park is on on the right about 1km after the roundabout.) When you reach Queanbeyan, the cycleway leaves Canberra Avenue and runs parallel first to the railway line and then to the Queanbeyan River.
8. Take the first bridge across the river (Morriset St), turn left into Wanniassa St, right into High Street then left onto the Kings Highway. (If you want to go to Queanbeyan Shops, do not take the bridge across the river. Instead, continue along the river cycleway until you reach the highway. The main shopping centre is along the highway on the western side of the river.)

Queanbeyan is a large town of almost 40,000 people and located close to Canberra Airport. It is also accessible from Sydney by a Countrylink rail service (though note their bicycle policy). Hence this would also be a good place from which to start the tour. It has a large shopping centre, including the Central Café which serves hearty meals (of a size suitable for celebrating the end of a cycle tour). If you are cycling through before 7am, the Bakers Delight in the Coles Centre (located near the river on the highway) may be open. Queanbeyan has two caravan parks (Crestview and Riverside). If you don't plan to sight-see around Canberra then either of these are likely to be more convenient for an overnight stay than Canberra South Motor Park, as they are closer to shops and restaurants.

Queanbeyan to Captains Flat (44 km)
From the Queanbeyan shops, head east along the Kings Highway, crossing the river and climbing out of the town. The top of the hill gives views of Canberra to the west. Continue for a kilometre or so, before turning right onto the Captains Flat Road. (Note: when I did the trip this road was not signed. The turn off is in a little gully just after cycling past "The Ridge".) Unfortunately I know of no reasonable alternative route from Queanbeyan to Captains Flat Road that avoids the Kings Highway (though the fire trails connecting Old Sydney Road in Queanbeyan with Captains Flat Road may furnish some possibilities - see the satellite view in the online map).

Canberra from The Kings Highway near Queanbeyan	The Molonglo River Valley

Captains Flat Road is sealed all the way to Captains Flat. It undulates mildly at first, is flat for some 16km along the Molonglo River and then undulates again for the last 10km before reaching Captains Flat. Water from the Molonglo River (or it tributaries near Captains Flat) is not suitable for drinking because of heavy metal contamination from abandoned mines in the area. About 1km before Captains Flat, a road (signed "Lookout") to the right leads to a one of these mines. Here you will find historical information and a viewing area which overlooks the town. The side trip is 800m return and well worth the effort.

View of Captains Flat from lookout	Bridge over the Molonglo 'River' at Captains Flat

Captains Flat is a former mining town, currently with over 400 residents. It has a petrol station, tennis courts, pub, café, bowling club, post office, public park (with toilets, water, bins and picnic shelters), swimming pool (open in summer) and pay phone. Free camping is permitted in the park; ask at the petrol station for access to hot showers in the toilet block. Opening times and other information about local business and facilities can be found here.

Captains Flat to Majors Creek (37 km)
The road from Captains Flat to Majors Creek is mostly unsealed but was in fair condition when I cycled it. The first section consists of a climb over the Great Dividing Range (the highest point of the tour at over 1100m above sea level), followed by a descent into the Shoalhaven River Valley. After 23km, turn left onto the sealed road toward Braidwood and after crossing the Shoalhaven River, turn right on the unsealed road to Majors Creek. This final stretch lasts 12km and comprises two smaller climbs and accompanying descents.

Descent to the Shoalhaven River

Majors Creek is a small village with a park (picnic tables and toilets), pay phone and a pub. All three facilities are tucked away in Seymour Street off the main roads. To find them, once you are in town simply follow the signs reading "Majors Creek" at each road junction. Majors Creek hosts a folk music festival in November each year. For history about the gold rush in the district, see here.

The Majors Creek Pub (also known as the Erlington Hotel) offers accommodation for $40 per person per night (includes sheets and breakfast) in a renovated train carriage. One can camp on the grounds for $10 per night.

Berlang Camping Area
The Berlang Camping Area is approximately 41km from Captains Flat, 32km from Majors Creek and 103km from Canberra. To get there from Captains Flat, head toward Majors Creek and after 23km turn right off Captains Flat Road onto Krawarree Road. After 17km of flat cycling on bitumen, turn left onto the dirt 2WD track that leads to the campsite. Camping costs $5 per adult per night and is payable via an honesty system at the site. Pit toilets, picnic tables and wood BBQs are provided while water can be reliably obtained from the Shoalhaven River, some 200m from the campsite (boil before consuming). The area boasts interesting limestone formations, including The Big Hole (3.5km return walk) and Marble Arch (12km return walk). Due to heat, I only walked as far as The Big Hole, but could do this comfortably in thongs (of the footware variety!). Some further information about these walks can be obtained from The Big Hole and Marble Arch entry of Johnny Boy's Walkabout Blog.

The Big Hole	The Big Hole walking track	Berlang Camping Area

Lowden Forest Park
Lowden Forest Park, tucked away in Tallaganda State Forest on the Great Dividing Range, provides an alternative camping spot to Berlang Camping Area. Located in a beautiful stand of natural forest, it offers plenty of shade and (according to locals at Captains Flat) is usually green, even in periods of drought. Pit toilets, picnic tables and fire places are provided and camping is free. A number of historic relics, including a water wheel once used to recharge batteries of logging trucks, are scattered around the site. A small creek, which has been redirected to power the water wheel, runs through the park. When I visited in January 2010 the creek was flowing. However, in dry periods the creek stops flowing and cannot be relied upon for water.

Lowden Forest Water Wheel	Hopkins Pond Walking Track	Lowden Forest Picnic Area

Lowden Forest Park is marked on the South Coast Forest Map, but not on any of the (1:250k or 1:25k) topographic maps. The 1:250k topo marks the location of Hopkins Hut Ruins, which is very close to Lowden Park. This online map of a ride I cycled in January 2010 shows the location of the park and several approaches to it (zoom out to see markers that are not on the route shown). From Queanbeyan, the most direct route passes through Hoskinstown and Rossi. The road from Queanbeyan to Hoskinstown is now fully sealed. The gravel roads after Hoskinstown was in good condition when I travelled through in 2010. Neither Hoskinstown nor Rossi have any services. After Rossi one enters the state forest. Stick to the major forestry road until you reach the top of the climb, which is also the apex of the Great Dividing Range. From here the way to Lowden Forest Park is clearly marked by signs.

The route from Captains Flat to Lowden Forest Park is unsealed but easy to follow. Take the Braidwood Road out of the town, and after a few kilometres turn left onto Harolds Cross Road. After 8km of generally pleasant cycling, turn left into Coxs Creek Road, where you will past through the scared landscape of harvested pine plantation. A dam next to the road can be found about 4km from here, and is likely to be a more reliable source of water than the creek at Lowden Forest. After the dam, continue on, climbing up to the apex of the Great Dividing Range, and from there following the signs to the forest park. In my view the scenery via Hoskinstown and Rossi is better than that via Captains Flat.

There are several routes one could take from Lowden Forest Park to Majors Creek. Signs in the state forest direct traffic to Coxs Creek Road and then right onto Harolds Cross Road, which later joins the Captains Flat-Braidwood Road. A slightly shorter route takes the Northern Road and Gunns Road, which meets Harolds Cross Road. All these roads are clearly marked on the South Coast Forest Map. I have not cycled either of these routes, but all the graded forestry roads that I saw in Tallaganda State Forest, though unsealed, were suitable for touring on a hybrid.

For further information about about cycling in the area, read Pedal Power's guide to the Lowden Forest Park Loop Ride and a similar online article by Kevin Joy.

Further options
One could also visit Braidwood, a larger town of 1100 residents with historic buildings and a great bakery café. The tour would be modified by cycling from Captains Flat to Braidwood (49km with 22km unsealed) followed by Braidwood to Majors Creek (16km sealed). This deviation would be on reasonably quiet roads and only involve 3km of backtracking. Alternatively, one could start their trip in Braidwood, which is serviced by Murrays Coaches from Canberra, Queanbeyan, Batemans Bay and Narooma, and cycle from here to Majors Creek (16km). The Kings Highway - Around Braidwood webpage gives further information about outdoor attractions in the area, including articles on Big Hole, Marble Arch and Lowden Forest Park.

© 2009 Robert Taggart. Last updated 9 February 2010.