People ask me what map I use to get around the ACT's bush so I thought I would do a review of my favourite, the Rooftop's ACT South Activities map. Before this map I only had access to the traditional contour map.

The Rooftop's map is a 1:50 000 scale map with 20 m contours. It covers the Namadgi National Park, Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Googong Foreshores. Small parts of Kosciuszco & Brindabella National Parks & adjoining areas in NSW.

The map also shows southern Canberra and Queanbeyan although the information is rudimentary. It does however show the access routes out of the city and the surrounding parks.

Please excuse the quality of the photographs but they are taken of my old, worn and stained map that I find invaluable and although showing a little neglect still serves its purpose. Anyway... it will give you a look at the intricacies of the information.

The map was constructed by extensive GPS fieldwork carried out in 2010. The comment from the Namadgi Visitors Centre that provide the map here in the ACT was that "A man literally strapped a GPS to his head and walked every trail in the ACT". Obviously it was done in vehicles where possible.

As an example the following photo showing the walking track up to Bushfold Flats starting at the visitors centre. It gives an example of the distance marking along the walks and the sort of additional information supplied about a specific area...

All up its the best map of the parks I have come across. What I have shown here is a minuscule example of what is a very comprehensive resource covering our entire region. Currently it seems only available at the Namadgi National Park visitors centre and from memory it cost about 12 dollars.


Two long distance tracks traverse part of this map. The Bicentenial National Trail is over 5330 km in length and goes from Healsville in Victoria to Cooktown in Queensland. The Australian Alps walking track is about 650 km in length and goes from Walhalla Victoria to the Namadgi Visitors Centre.

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