Tracing the lives of Australia's first inhabitants is a fascinating pursuit - one normally associated with the prized rock art of the Outback. But with 3,000 Aboriginal sites, the nation's capital offers enough cultural sightseeing to fill a three-day, self-drive tour.
First stop has to be the eye-catching National Museum, a riot of colour and form on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The First Australians Gallery, a permanent exhibit within the new museum, gives a brilliant insight into the two indigenous groups in Australia - the Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders.
From the minute you step into the welcome corridor - an interactive media introduction to the gallery - it's clear this is going to be a powerfully illuminating experience.
The lives of tens of thousands of generations of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are explored in exhibits, open collections and rare artefacts. The spiritual and functional are intertwined in Aboriginal culture, with each implement serving as a daily reminder of the sacredness of existence.
You learn about the diversity of languages and cultures, indigenous people's attachment to land and sea and the heroic struggle for human rights and land rights from the perspective of individual communities.
The National Historical Collection contains an extraordinary collection of 80,000 stone tools and Australia's largest collection of bark paintings.
To truly appreciate Aboriginal culture, though, one must get close to the land. Some of the most accessible and well-preserved evidence of the early lives of indigenous people can be found in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National Park.
Allow at least half a day for Tidbinbilla, about 40 km out of Canberra, and a day to explore Namadgi, about a 90 minute drive from the Capital. Visiting most sites involves walks of various lengths, some quite demanding, and you need to be reasonably fit.
Aborigines were first living in the ACT around 21,000 years ago, when the last major Ice Age brought temperatures 8-10°C cooler than the region experiences today. Their presence was confirmed with the excavation of the Birrigai rock shelter, an ancient camping place that was in use until the middle of the 19th century.
The shelter, in the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, is one of the most significant Aboriginal sites in south-eastern Australia. It is accessed via the 3 km Birrigai Time Trail, marked on the left before you reach the reserve visitor centre.
The reserve itself contains several interesting sites, including another rock shelter called Hanging Rock, which is also easily accessed. Nearby Gibraltar Falls is the site of the region's most spectacular axe-grinding grooves, on the lip of the falls.
Bogong moths played an important role in the diets of early Aboriginal people. The arrival of these winged parcels of protein and fat each spring heralded a season of corroborees and feasting on the mountain tops that form the southern spine of the Great Dividing Range.
In the Canberra region, the moths pass through from early October, on their annual migration from the inland plains of western NSW to their summer hibernation grounds in the Australian Alps.
A reliable place to find Bogong moths in summer is Namadgi National Park's Mount Gingera, one of the best bushwalks in the Brindabella and Bimberi mountains west of Canberra. Allow a full day for this 14.5 km walk, which delivers panoramic views.
It's a pretty drive from the centre of Canberra to the start of the walk at a locked gate at Mount Ginini, via Cotter, Brindabella and Mount Franklin Roads, including 33 km of unsealed road.
Park here and follow the fire trail past Pryors Hut, a 1950s alpine hut, and take the next track on the right for a steepish one kilometre walk to the summit through wind-stunted snow gums and granite outcrops.
Search among the boulders at the summit for dry, dark, narrow crevices protected from the wind - the moths will be so densely packed they will look like a layer of fungi. A torch will help you pick them out.
Far down in the valleys to the south is the Yankee Hat rock shelter, where each year for centuries up to 500 Aborigines at a time gathered to feast on moths and perform traditional rites. The shelter contains the region's most accessible rock art, depicting kangaroos, dingoes and birds.
Yankee Hat is in the southern section of the park accessed via Boboyan Road and Old Boboyan Road, 32 km south of the visitor centre. The shelter is reached via a three kilometre walk.
If the prospect of a vigorous hike doesn't appeal, there are easier options. Opposite the main entrance of Parliament House is a dot mosaic of coloured granite. The National Gallery also has a prized selection of significant art.
Take the time to visit reserves such as Namadgi and Tidbinbilla not far from Canberra. This gives you the opportunity to see how Aboriginals live in their own environment and truly explore Aboriginal culture.
Adrian, Brisbane.
4WD
