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This special Canberra district 4WD eco-tour is designed to introduce you to some fine local wines as well as the scenic regions and villages around our National Capital. Highlights include our unusual and historic route through old growth forests, offering excellent views of the Great Dividing Range.
Our tour departs your Canberra Hotel at 12.30 sharp, travelling to nearby Pialligo Estate Winery, where our hosts Sally and John invite us to join a brief winery tour before they introduce us to their fine range of local reds, whites and Rose styles.
Travelling through Queanbeyan, we turn southeast through sheep country to pass through the old goldmining villages of Hoskinstown and Rossi. Here, we climb the upper reaches of Forbes Creek and into the Tallanganda State Forest. This remarkable forest region contains numerous rare and endangered bird species as well as over 8000 hectares of old growth forest, much of which is preserved. However, during the 1930’s, this area was logged extensively and relics of this important pioneer industry can still be found.
At Lowden Forest Park, we make a ‘comfort’ stop where you can explore the timber cutters relics whilst your guides prepare afternoon tea. We depart Lowden via a heavily forested 4WD trail to cross the Great Divide near the old Chinese gold diggings of ‘Little Bombay’. After passing over the upper Shoalhaven River, we arrive at historic Braidwood.
Our short visit to Braidwood is an opportunity to wander through this historically important village, inspect the antique shops or perhaps enjoy a cool drink at one of the town’s many colourful hotels.
We depart Braidwood for Canberra via another track through the Tallaganda forests. This remarkable trail is very old, with stone embankments and creek crossings suggesting it may have been constructed by miners or even convicts.
Passing through remote Forbes Creek, look out for the ruins of the great steam or oil engine on our right. Was it a mine or a mill? If time permits, we may detour through Bungendore, another of the Southern Tablelands’ beautiful and historic towns.
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