The Friends of Tidbinbilla have been a fixture of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve since 1992. Tidbinbilla, south of Canberra along the Paddys River Road in the Tidbinbilla Valley, is familiar to most Canberrans, and many hold cherished childhood memories of visits.
We work alongside rangers to help to protect the natural and cultural environment of Tidbinbilla nature reserve, south of Canberra along the Paddys River Road in the Tidbinbilla Valley.
Over the years our priorities have focused on weed control, track maintenance and erosion control, but we have also undertaken fauna surveys and maintenance of heritage sites, among other activities. We have monitored 3 sites as part of the ACT Waterwatch program since 1993, making our datasets one of the longest in the ACT and 3 Frogwatch sites since the late 1990s.
The reserve was totally burnt in the January 2003 Canberra Firestorm.
in 2014 we were successful in obtaining an ACT Heritage Grant to develop 5 interpretation signs in and around the Nildesperandum precinct, telling a piece of the rich history of Tidbinbilla; an infamous Irish bard, pioneers, eucalyptus distilling in the valley, and the earliest koala enclosure in the ACT.
Friends of Tidbinbilla are part of the ACT Governments ParkCare Initiative and a member of the Southern ACT Catchment Group.
Friends’ activities are generally scheduled for the second and third Saturdays of each month.
Meet at the Ranger Depot at 10.00am and usually finish around midday.
All members must sign on and off before and after an activity.
Please report any incidents or issues to Rangers.
Note: On days of Total Fire Ban, the Reserve may be closed. Please call the Visitors Centre on 6205 1233 or check out https://www.tidbinbilla.act.gov.au/ for further information.
Please contact us at friendsoftidbinbilla@hotmail.com or through the SACTCG on 62966400
Check out the all the species that have been spotted in Tidbinbilla using Canberra Nature Map’s Digital Field Guide
| Scheduled workparty | Activity |
| Annual | Frogwatch – population monitoring |
| 3rd Sunday of each month | Waterwatch- water quality monitoring |
| 8/02/2020 | Mapping and removal of periwinkle at Black Flat |
| 14/03/2020 | Map & remove Japanese Honeysuckle along Tidbinbilla River |
| 11/04/2020 | Carpark & Dam rejuvenation at Visitors Centre |
| 9/05/2020 | Nildesperandum Gardens |
| 13/06/2020 | TBA |
| 11/07/2020 | Track Maintenance in the Sanctuary |
| 8/08/2020 | TBA |
| 12/09/2020 | Track Building at Nildesperandum |
| 10/10/2020 | Bird Survey |
| 14/11/2020 | |
| 12/12/2020 | End of Year BBQ |