Mount Painter Circuit from Coulter Drive

Starting from Colter Drive, Belconnen, this circuit walk explores the hills and grassland of Mount Painter Nature Reserve, visiting the summit of the mount along the way. The summit provides you with one of the most picturesque sunset views in Canberra, and is well worth the climb. And don't worry about that huge alien-tech looking tower in the distance, it’s human-made and is called Telstra Tower. Take the scenery in as your heart rate goes down, and maybe have a little bird spotting competition amongst your friends/family. In fact, a small portion of the woodland contains the endangered Yellow Box-Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy trees, which you can spot more bird species on. Keep in mind that dogs are allowed but have to be on lead. Let us begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we travel today, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Downloads GPX PDF

Safer Bushwalks Tips on staying safe on track
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There Transport options and directions

Start	(-35.2627335,149.0562496)
Mode	Car
Directions	From Parkes Way Turn on to William Hovell Drive Onramp then drive for 490 m Keep right onto William Hovell Drive Onramp and drive for another 45 m Turn left onto William Hovell Drive and drive for another 3 km Keep right and drive for another 1 km

Track Notes Turn by turn instructions & maps

Getting started
From Coulter Drive(800 metres north of intersection with William Hovell Drive), head towards the creek crossing with wooden railing along the paved way, moving directly away from the road. Pass over the crossing and follow the dirt fire trail(BNT) as it skirts the fenceline to your left. After about 210 metres continue straight through the intersection to continue along Mount Painter Circuit from Coulter Drive Track.....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start heading along Bicentennial National Trail. Then head up the very steep (15% ~ 8.5°) surface\|gravel incline (about 750 m long) Continue straight, to head along Bicentennial National Trail. After another 165 m head up the very steep (15% ~ 8.5°) surface\|gravel incline (about 540 m long)
	Continue straight, to head along Bicentennial National Trail. After another 155 m continue straight, to head along Bicentennial National Trail.
	After another 370 m (at the intersection of Painter Reservior Track & Bicentennial National Trail) turn right, to head along Painter Reservior Track (a vehicle track). After another 170 m come to the viewpoint (20 m on your left)., has no backrest. After another 20 m head through/around the gate. After another 30 m pass the sign (on your left).
	After another 45 m continue straight. After another 20 m pass a seat (35 m on your right). After another 15 m come to the viewpoint (30 m on your right). After another 60 m head up the surface\|compacted steps (about 7 m long) After another 30 m head up the surface\|compacted steps (about 4 m long) After another 35 m head up the surface\|compacted steps (about 9 m long)
	The starting point of an optional sidetrip. A little side trip taking you to another viewpoint to get a better angle on the southern part of the reserve. To start this optional side trip continue straight here. On returning from this side trip turn right when you get back to this intersection. Details below. After another 25 m turn left. Then head down the very steep (20% ~ 11.3°) earthen incline (about 260 m long) Then pass the sign (110 m on your right). Then pass the "Mount Painter" (on your right). After another 250 m turn right. After another 910 m continue straight. Keep right.
	After another 390 m continue straight.
	After another 510 m continue straight. After another 255 m cross the ford.
	After another 80 m continue straight. After another 15 m come to the viewpoint (on your left). After another 340 m head down the very steep (15% ~ 8.5°) surface\|gravel incline After another 9 m continue straight, to head along Bicentennial National Trail. Then head down the very steep (15% ~ 8.5°) surface\|gravel incline
	After another 165 m continue straight, to head along Bicentennial National Trail.
	After another 50 m come to the end.

A little side trip taking you to another viewpoint to get a better angle on the southern part of the reserve.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start. Find the Mount Painter at the start. After 30 m pass the sign (on your right). Then head up the surface\|compacted steps (about 3 m long)
	After another 55 m come to the end. A viewpoint. A seat., has no backrest. A sign. Turn around and retrace your steps back the 90 m to the main route.

Terrain Know the Hills, grading & facilities

Mount Painter Circuit from Coulter Drive

Grading

	Class 3/6 Moderate track
Length	4.2 km
Time	1 h 15 min to 2 h

Quality of track	Clear and well formed track or trail (2/6)
Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
Signage	Clearly signposted (2/6)
Infrastructure	Generally useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats) (2/6)
Experience Required	No experience required (2/6)
Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (2/6)

Some facilities on route

Seat: There are 2 on route, on average they are 1.5 km apart with the largest gap of 3.2 km.

Order of key facilities on route

Item	From Start	Name & link to notes
Seat	1 km	[seat]
Seat	1.2 km + 170 m	[seat]

Weather & Alerts Check forecasts & closures
Weather Forecast
- Belconnen Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed
  
  Thursday 31 October
  
  26°C
  Partly cloudy.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light in the late evening.
  
  Fire Danger Rating: Moderate
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 9:00am to 4:20pm, UV Index predicted to reach 9 [Very High]
  
  Friday 1 November
  
  9°C → 24°C
  Partly cloudy.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Winds southerly 15 to 20 km/h becoming light early in the morning then becoming southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h in the early afternoon.
  
  Saturday 2 November
  
  8°C → 25°C
  Partly cloudy.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Cloudy. Medium chance of showers in the morning and afternoon. Winds southeasterly 15 to 20 km/h shifting north to northeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the afternoon.
  
  Sunday 3 November
  
  10°C → 32°C
  Becoming windy. Mostly sunny.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Mostly sunny. Light winds becoming northerly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then becoming light during the evening.
  
  Monday 4 November
  
  15°C → 31°C
  Mostly sunny.
  30% chance of rain
  0 → 1mm
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h turning southeasterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning.
  
  Tuesday 5 November
  
  12°C → 29°C
  Cloud clearing.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Cloudy. Medium chance of showers, most likely during the morning. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Wednesday 6 November
  
  10°C → 32°C
  Mostly sunny.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Alerts
- ACT Parks alerts
  When planning and before starting your trip please check ACT Parks Website for anything that may impact on your plans. It is also worth checking the Parks Facebook page for more timely information.

Weather Forecast

Alerts