Canberra Centenary Trail to showcase Bush Capital
4 May 2011
The ACT Government has funded development of the Canberra Centenary Trail – with some very interesting possibilities for Hall, which is a designated camp site on the Trail in the feasibility report. It can be expected that, over time, the walk / bike trail will attract large numbers of people to, and through the village.
The self-guided trail will start at Parliament House and loop around the ACT through locations including ANZAC Parade and the War Memorial, Parliament House, Lake Burley Griffin, Mount Ainslie, Mount Taylor, Red Hill, the National Arboretum Stromlo Forest Park and Mulligans Flat Sanctuary.
The Centenary Trail will see existing fire and walking trails merged with new trails. It is envisaged that 19km of new trails be constructed and 15km of existing ones upgraded.
A camping area on the southern side of the trail will be built with existing accommodation utilised along other points of the route. The proposal is to share the Bicentennial Trail campsite already identified at Hall.
Where the terrain allows, the trail will also include disability access and facilities and there will interpretive signing aimed at people from non-English speaking backgrounds.
People will also be able to access the information through a GPS-based, smart phone application that could allow users to access videos, photographs, music and audio narration tailored to their interests.
The Budget funding follows a $100,000 study on the feasibility of the commemorative trail which recommended either a seven-day, 129km journey for walkers or a three-day, 133km ride for cyclists.
The trail was designed for low intensity users, with those walkers and cyclists keen for a more energetic workout already catered for through a range of recreational opportunities including long distance walking in Namadgi National Park and mountain biking at Stromlo Forest Park.
According to the Chief Minister Jon Stanhope:
"The Centenary Trail will be a gift to Canberra and visitors to our city that is the result of a partnership between the Government and the community, with the idea originally arising from community submissions received as part of the Canberra 100 call for Centenary projects," "The ACT Government will continue to seek input from users and other community groups to ensure the trail is sustainable in terms of its route, its operation and management into the future. "
Construction of the trail is expected to commence mid-2012 with completion in mid-2013.