Want to experience some of the gravel Canberra has to offer, but don’t have heaps of time? Right in the heart of the city this short loop might be for you. Highly recommended as an extension to a ride around Lake Burley Griffin (and already a significant part of CyclingGravel’s Epic Canberra Gravel Trail, Mount Ainslie Nature Park is a good example of the fire track style cycling that is available in many of the Nature Parks around Canberra.
Getting there
In one sense, getting to the start of the Mount Ainslie loop is simple – head to Mount Ainslie Drive, which is off Fairbairn Avenue. Having said that it is reasonable to ask: can you cut out Fairbairn Avenue (as it can be busy)? I prefer to head through Campbell – both at the start and end. The Komoot included for the ride shows how this can easily be done from the Lake Burley Griffin shared paths. It is also possible to start the loop in other ‘quieter’ locations – for example at the top of Campbell Street in Ainslie (where it turns into Duffy Street) – and cut out Fairbairn Avenue altogether.
If starting from Mount Ainslie Drive, the start is pretty obvious from a dirt car park to the left, supporting a clockwise loop. The entry on the right is a little harder to find if you want to do it the other way around – it is just to the right of the driveway into the pistol club.
Main loop
Once past the back of the War Memorial, this loop has three main parts: Ainslie Houses, up and over via Hancocks Road, and then back via the Telecom Track.
There are a number of different ways you can take on the western side of Mount Ainslie, including sticking to the marked Centenary Trail route. I prefer the Ainslie Houses Track as it is well maintained, has better and gentle flow and all-round makes for a nicer ride. You are most likely to see other path users (e.g. walkers, joggers) here.
Heading over the saddle between Mount Ainslie and Mount Majura, Hancocks Road is a gentler climb from the western end – just be a little careful on the corners on the descent.
Once at the bottom, Telecom Track is a lovely undulating track – it is the one you are most likely to encounter maintenance vehicles on. Depending on the time of year, it also has lovely wild flowers beside the trail – some of which can be seen below.
Finishing up
If you are feeling enthusiastic, a ride up to Mount Ainslie lookout is worthwhile. Don’t be fooled by the initial incline – it gets steeper as you go. But the views are totally worth it. Plus the warm inner glow of making it up one of the two toughest of Canberra’s ‘six peaks‘ (although I would argue for inclusion of Mount Majura as the seventh: it is an excellent “harder” climb and the only one that is both sealed and excludes cars. You can get here via Lime Kiln Road, accessible from the C9 Paul Trubridge cycleway).
Heading back to the lake, my favourite on-road route passes both Campbell Shops (Department of Pizza is highly recommended if you are after lunch) and the cafes near Hassett Park. My ‘go to’ is Knead – the baked goods are fantastic, and the coffee is also really good, although I also rate Intra (not cheap, but a favourite bacon & egg roll). A final option is to return to the lake – Curio Press offers decent coffee and good views.
CyclingGravel 