Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
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Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve Australian Capital Territory |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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 Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
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| Coordinates | 35°27′47″S 148°54′48″E / 35.46306°S 148.91333°ECoordinates: 35°27′47″S 148°54′48″E / 35.46306°S 148.91333°E |
| Established | 1971 |
| Area | 54.5 km2 (21.0 sq mi) |
| Managing authorities | Territory and Municipal Services |
| Website | Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve |
| See also | Australian Capital Territory protected areas |
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a 54.5 square kilometres (21.0 sq mi) protected area, on the fringe of Namadgi National Park, that is a short drive from the city of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory, the capital city of Australia. The nature reserve consists of a large valley floor, the Tidbinbilla Mountain and the Gibraltar range. The sides of the valley are steep and relatively undisturbed; the lower slopes are partly cleared and have a history of Aboriginal and European use. Tidbinbilla Mountain is believed to have been used for initiation ceremonies. The word 'Tidbinbilla' is Aboriginal in origin and is derived from the word Jedbinbilla – a place where boys become men.
Known sites of Aboriginal significance in the nature reserve include the Birriagi Rock Shelter, which is the oldest Aboriginal site within the Australian Capital Territory. Bogong Rocks is a shelter contains the oldest evidence of Aboriginal occupation at a bogong moth resting site.
The nature reserve is classified as an IUCN Category II protected area.
Aborigines have inhabited the Tidbinbilla area since antiquity. Archaeological digs carried out at Birrigai (over the hill from Tidbinbilla) found the earliest evidence of the use of fire, dated at 20,000 years old. This was at the time of the last ice age. Excavations at Hanging Rock has dated occupation of that site to some 16,000 years.
The name Tidbinbilla is derived from the Aboriginal word ‘Jedbinbilla', meaning a place where boys become men. The last corroboree held at Tidbinbilla was circa 1904. There are aboriginal rock paintings to be found at Gibraltar Peak in a small cave.
There are over 100 years of European tenancy within the nature reserve. Nil Desperandum and Rock Valley Homestead are both pise rammed earth buildings built in the 1890s. Both buildings were built by George Green and George Hatcliff. Nil Desperandum is a historic four-roomed residence alongside Hurdle Creek first occupied by Henry French Gillman. The remains of a commercial camellia plantation and the best preserved eucalyptus distillery in the ACT are nearby.
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Wikipedia