Kangaroos and rock art on the Yankee Hat Trail

A short and pleasant bushwalk in Namadgi National Park, the Yankee Hat trail crosses the Gudgenby Valley grasslands as it heads towards a series of peaks that form part of the Great Dividing Range.

There are hundred of kangaroos enjoying the sunny but crisp morning, as they graze on the open plain.

The Yankee Hat Trail descends gently towards Bogong Creek; which is crossed via a timber bridge (the bridge seemed to be missing on my visit, but the creek is easily crossed a short distance to the west).

On the other side of Bogong Creek, the trail starts to ascend gently towards the foothills of Yankee Hat. The track is mostly a gravel base and easy walking, with a few sections of steel boardwalk.

Although I’ve left the enormous mob of kangaroos behind, a few still stand guard by the track.

Directly ahead is Yankee Hat, named for its resemblance to the hats worn by American Pioneers.

At the foothills of Yankee Hat, the Yankee Hat Trail crosses a management trail; the last few hundred metres of the trail to the Yankee Hat Rock Art Site is closed from here (I later discover that ACT Parks are working with the Ngunnawal people to upgrade the site).

I turn-around here and re-trace my steps; even without a visit to the rock art shelter, this has been a very enjoyable winter morning bushwalk.

The return walk is about 6.2km to the Yankee Rock Art site, and just under six kilometres as walked (to the management trail). Allow about 90min.

Getting to the Yankee Hat Trail

The trailhead is reached from the Namadgi National Park Visitors Centre via Naas Road (which turns into Boboyan Road) and then Old Boboyan Road – the last 3.3km is unsealed and should be suitable for all vehicles, but there are a couple of shallow water crossings. It’s 31.4km (30min drive) from the Namadgi National Park Visitors Centre and about 70km (one hour drive) from Canberra.

More information

• Parks ACT – Namadgi National Park Guide and Map [PDF]