Pialligo Redwood Forest

A deeply peaceful botanical sanctuary that represents one of the most enduring physical legacies of Canberra's original designer, Walter Burley Griffin. The site marks the spot where Burley Griffin and pioneer horticulturist Thomas Charles Weston planted a massive redwood forest. While Weston was strongly against the project—rightly predicting that Canberra's dry climate lacked the cool coastal fogs of the trees' natural habitat—they went ahead anyway. Ultimately, only 3,000 of the original 122,000 trees survived the decades, representing a tiny 2.4% survival rate. While it failed as a forestry project, the surviving grove has matured beautifully into the largest stand of mature Redwood species in Australia and is proudly protected on the national Commonwealth Heritage List. Travellers can explore this shady, quiet haven on a flat, scenic 3-km self-guided circular walking trail. To protect the redwoods' incredibly shallow and fragile root systems, neither bicycles nor motor vehicles are permitted past the small front car park. Dogs on leads are welcome. There are no public toilets or water facilities on site.

• free
• outdoors

Address

384 Pialligo Avenue, Pialligo, ACT 2609

Getting there

on Pialligo Avenue, immediately adjacent to the southeastern edge of the Canberra Airport runway precinct

Hours

Open 24 hours daily

Price

Free

Website

visitcanberra.com.au (opens in a new tab)