Just over 2.5km long, the Rendezvous Creek trail is a great little hike with the family, especially if the kids have little legs.
Hiking the Rendezvous Creek Trail
About an hours drive south of Canberra, the trail head is just off the side of the Boboyan Road, making this trail ideal for an easy half-day trip. We set out on a chilly winter day, with warm jackets on and hot tea packed in a backpack. I hadn’t head much about this trail before, so it was a constant pleasant surprise as we were walking.
The trail begins with a short incline into the tree cover and almost immediately you start to see the large granite boulders that litter the trail, providing plenty of rock hopping and scrambling opportunities for the little ones. We kept to the right hand side of the only trail junction and every now and again we caught a glimpse of Rendezvous Creek below us.
Mountainous Views
Around halfway along the trail you emerge from the trees onto the edge of some open plains. From here you cross the creek and are rewarded with spectacular views across the valley towards the Scabby Range and Bimberi Wilderness. These views help to maximise the feeling of adventure along this short trail and add a sense of scale and wildness to the walk.
Once the bridge has been crossed and the kids have thrown whatever small rocks and sticks they could find into the water, the trail turns back towards home and towards the bush. On this side of the river, the trail remains open for a short while and there are plenty of kangaroos to be seen enjoying the wide open expanse of grass.
Picnic by Rendezvous Creek
A great way to extend a short walk into more of an adventure, is to fire up the camping stove and boil water for hot tea and milo, especially on a cool winter day. We stopped just before the second bridge over Rendezvous Creek as there were plenty of boulders to sit on and for the kids to climb, along with small beaches for rock hunting and throwing.
Morning tea done, we crossed the bridge and rejoined the trail to meander our way back to the car and back to Canberra. The Rendezvous Creek may well be short, but it’s also pretty mighty and this walk has been a great family memory, inspiring us to get out and explore the other short walks near Canberra.
Trail Notes – Rendezvous Creek Hiking Trail
- Distance: 2.5km return (even though the sign says 2km)
- Duration: 1-2hours – unless you’re out trail running!
- Location: Namadgi National Park, one hour south of Canberra