About The Pinnacle Nature Reserve

What and where is The Pinnacle Nature Reserve?

The Pinnacle Nature Reserve is a unit of the Canberra Nature Park (CNP). Totalling approximately 154 ha, the Reserve is located on Belconnen's southern boundary, adjacent to the suburbs of Weetangera and Hawker. The Reserve adjoins Springvale Drive and private residences to the north, and unleased and leasehold rural land on its southern, eastern and western boundaries [see location map]. The Reserve is promulgated under the ACT's Territory Plan, and managed by ACT Parks and Conservation Service (PCS).

The "Pinnacle" refers to the highest point of the Reserve, which is 708 m above sea level. The name seems to have first appeared on an official map in 1914.

What makes The Pinnacle Nature Reserve Special?

Amble a few hundred meters or less from the suburbs or Hawker or Weetangera and you're greeted with spectacular views across the Molonglo River to the Brindabella Mountains in the west, the Tidbinbilla Range to the south-west, and across the southern suburbs to Mt. Tennent in the south. To the east is the city of Canberra, the view dominated by Parliament House, Lake Burley Griffin and Black Mountain. Whether it's the blue haze of summer on the mountains, the remnants of the morning fog delineating the path of the Molonglo River in the colder months, or just the feeling of space so close to the bustle of the suburbs, it is always uplifting.

Lower your view to the Reserve around you and enjoy some of the 1059 native species that have been confirmed to occur on the Reserve. These include 276 native species of grasses, shrubs and trees, from precious orchids, to kangaroo and wallaby grasses, and magnificent eucalypts such as red stringybark, scribbly gum and yellow box; there is nearly always something in flower to admire. In and around this vegetation flit 120 species of native birds, close to 50% of the species known to be found in the ACT; some make their homes here permanently, while others visit seasonally or less regularly. You'll also never tire of seeing the iconic Eastern Grey Kangaroos, several hundred of which inhabit the Reserve. You may also get a glimpse of the less common Red-necked Wallaby, an Echidna scurrying for cover, or a Bearded dragon holding perfectly still hoping that it won't be seen.

These are some of the many reasons that the Friends of The Pinnacle are working to foster community pride in and care for the Reserve, to halt and reverse threats posed by pest plants and animals and by land and water degradation, and to share its values with as broad a community as possible.

Read on and follow the links to experience more of what The Pinnacle Nature Reserve has to offer.

European settlement history of the Pinnacle Nature Reserve

The history of land tenure between 1826 and 1965 has been pieced together from various archival sources for the area that is now the Pinnacle Nature Reserve. It covers the period from when the first squatters lay claim to land in the area between Ginninderra Creek and the Molonglo River up to the resumption of land for the creation of the suburbs of Weetangera and Hawker. It also includes a timeline of the development of the Reserve area after that with further research ongoing.

Hydrology and Geology

The Pinnacle is part of a ridge including Mt. Painter, that runs west from Black Mountain. This ridge forms the southern boundary of the Belconnen suburban area, and is also the water divide that separates the Ginninderra Creek catchment from that of the Molonglo River. The bulk of the Reserve faces south and drains into the Molonglo River, the largest creek being Deep Creek, which flows from the dam (see hydrology map). There is an elevation change of 90 m, from 708 m at The Pinnacle to 600 m at the southern corner of the Pinnacle Extension.

The rocks underlying the Reserve belong to the Hawkins Volcanic Suite, and specifically the Walker Volcanics, deposited in the mid-Silurian geological period (about 425 million years ago). As the name implies, these are largely of volcanic origin and the main rock type mapped to the area is dacitic ignimbrite. The volcanic eruptions occurred in a shallow marine and terrestrial environment. Between eruptions lenses of sedimentary rocks (limestone and shale) were incorporated into the geological sequence. An outcrop of one of these limestone deposits occurs in the southern part of the Reserve. Unlike the deposit that is found further down the hill along the Molonglo River which is rich in marine fossils, it does not seem to contain fossils visible to the naked eye.

Over much of the reserve, the surface is rocky and the soils are shallow. On the slopes and in the depressions, however, deeper soil formation has occurred. Most of the area is covered by soils assessed to have a moderate to very high erosion hazard, with patches, mainly in low lying areas, having extreme erosion hazard.

Vegetation

While a large part of the Reserve has suffered from tree clearing of forest and grazing activities in the past, the western portion has remained in a relatively natural state. The dry sclerophyll forest in the west of the Reserve features Eucalyptus macrorhyncha (Red Stringybark) as the dominant tree species. These appear quite well established in the earliest aerial photo of the area (1940) suggesting that perhaps the area was not cleared after settlement in the mid 1870s. Shrubs dominate the understorey with smaller shrubs, fallen timber and leaflitter at ground level. There are also many forbs including daisies, orchids and lilies. Weed invasion is less noticeable here than elsewhere in the Reserve, but, because this is a high conservation part of the Reserve, control of weeds is a high priority.

There are scattered large eucalypts (mostly Yellow Box, E. melliodora, and Blakely's Red Gum, E. blakelyi) surrounded by grassland over much of the reserve to the east of the forest. Isolated native shrubs such as Bursaria sp. and Cassinia sp. remain, especially near outcrops of boulders or amongst rocky ground. Native clumping plants, ferns, lilies and low shrubs are also preserved near rocks. Introduced grasses and weeds are less numerous in some of these rocky outcrops, while many others are seriously weed infested.

The tree cover of the Reserve was augmented by community plantings in 1984 and 1990/91 when over 4,000 trees and shrubs were planted. The plantings are often obvious from their regular nature and the remnants of tree guards around their bases. A range of Acacia species and other native trees or large shrubs were introduced to the reserve at that time. They support foraging native birds and improve the amenity value of the Reserve, although some of the shrub species are not endemic to the area. Further strategic small-scale plantings using species that are local to the area have been carried out by fotpin - see Revegetation.

Introduced grasses are common over much of the Reserve and represent the "pasture-improvement" practices of past lessees and graziers. Open grassland has been invaded by Acacia, forming thickets where fires have stimulated germination.

In the east and south of the reserve boulder areas are also valuable refuges for native vegetation. Here older eucalypts remain, indicating woodland prior to pastoral activity, and there are younger eucalypts closer to Coulter Drive from a more recent planting effort.

Several gullies divide the expanse of grass areas and support sedges and other native wetland plants. A dam captures waters from a minor creek (Deep Creek) draining from the 'reservoirs' area. Gullies in the Stringybark forest are rich in native plants including Sundews and orchids during wet springs.

See Plants of The Pinnacle for a detailed list of the 276 native plant species found in the Reserve, including 9 species designated as rare or uncommon in the ACT and 2 listed as vulnerable or threatened. There is also a list of the more than 180 exotic (non-native) plant species found on the reserve.