Oakey Hill, Canberra

Oakey Hill is a hill near Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It rises 80 metres above the adjacent south Canberra suburbs of Lyons, Curtin and Weston, and its 66 hectares (163 acres) is one of 33 areas which form Canberra Nature Reserve. The highest point of the hill, 684 metres above sea level, is marked by a survey station.

The hill’s name is thought to come from the stands of she oaks (casuarinas, Allocasuarina verticillata) growing on the hill, mainly on the eastern side.

About half of Oakey Hill is open space with a mix of native and exotic grasses, while the remainder is bushland with stands of native eucalypts including yellow box and Blakely’s red gum.

A number of walking tracks circle or cross the hill. The walking tracks are popular with day walkers and they also see some cycle and equestrian traffic. The walks are generally rated as easy with some short steep climbs. The views from the summit are impressive: east to Red Hill and Isaacs Ridge, north to Scrivener Dam and Mt Painter and the Belconnen hills, northeast beyond the Captain Cook memorial water jet towards Mount Ainslie and Mount Majura, and west over Cooleman Ridge to the Brindabellas.

For many years, the northern Canberra region, including Oakey Hill, was home to the Ngunnawal Aboriginal people. More recent European history includes references to Oakey Hill being included in Woden Valley farming leases which allowed stock to graze on the hill and adjacent lands.

With the development of nearby suburbs in the late 1960s/early 1970s, the grazing leases were terminated. A water reservoir was established near the top of the hill, power lines were erected on the lower slopes, and more recently a mobile telephone tower was erected near the reservoir.

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