Gossan Hills Circuit

Starting from the end of Weatherburn Place, Bruce, this circuit walk gives you a tour of Gossan Hills Nature Reserve, visiting the hills and creeks. The reddish stones you can spot all around the site are linked to the molten crust of the earth, formed in the Silurian Period(around 420 million years ago). For your information, a gossan is an intensely oxidised, decomposed form of rock exposing an ore deposit or mineral vein beneath it. The word also means iron hat in Cornish. Hiking through these historic rocks, you’ll probably run into groups of kangaroos chilling and socializing in nature. The walk can become an entirely different, mysterious journey if you’re there when the fog sets in. Let us begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we travel today, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

Downloads GPX PDF

Safer Bushwalks Tips on staying safe on track
Before you start any bushwalk ensure you;
• Tell someone you trust where you are going and what to do if you are overdue
• Have adequate equipment, supplies, skills & knowledge for the whole journey
• Consider the impact of weather forecasts, park/track closures & fire dangers
• Can respond to emergencies & call for help at any point
• Are healthy and fit enough for this journey
If not, change plans and stay safe. It is okay to delay and ask people for help.

Getting There Transport options and directions

Start	From the Weatherburn Place (-35.2481291,149.0832356)
Mode	Car
Directions	From Caswell Drive Turn on to then drive for 420 m Keep right and drive for another 120 m Continue onto Haydon Drive and drive for another 280 m Keep left and drive for another 600 m Turn right onto Weatherburn Place and drive for another 150 m Keep left and drive for another 2 m

Track Notes Turn by turn instructions & maps

Getting started
Starting from the end of Weatherburn Place, Bruce, head towards the metal gate along the concrete footpath between houses 13 and 16. Pass through the gate and when you come to the intersection of multiple trails turn right to join the Urban Fire Trail. Turn left after around 10 metres and follow the dirt path gently uphill to continue along Gossan Hills Nature Reserve Circuit.....

Turn map	Directions & comments
	From the Weatherburn Place Start (a footpath).
	After another 65 m (from the Urban FT) turn right, to head along Urban FT (a vehicle track).
	After another 15 m (from the Urban FT) turn left.
	After another 135 m turn right.
	After another 150 m (from the Radford FT) continue straight, to head along Radford FT.
	After another 125 m (at the intersection of Gossan Three FT & Radford FT) veer right, to head along Gossan Three FT. After another 120 m pass the "Gossan Hill" (75 m on your right).
	After another 80 m (at the intersection of Middle FT & Gossan Three FT) turn left, to head along Middle FT. After another 190 m (at the intersection of Urban FT & Middle FT) continue straight, to head along Gossan Two FT.
	After another 35 m (at the intersection of Urban FT & Gossan Two FT) turn left.
	The starting point of an alternate access track. An alternate access from/to Radford College Car Park. Details below. After another 180 m continue straight. After another 155 m continue straight. After another 190 m cross the ford.
	After another 230 m (from the Middle FT) turn left, to head along Middle FT (a vehicle track).
	After another 275 m (at the intersection of Gossan Seven FT & Middle FT) continue straight, to head along Gossan Seven FT. After another 135 m cross the ford.
	After another 55 m (at the intersection of Gossan Six FT & Gossan Seven FT) turn left, to head along Gossan Six FT. After another 70 m come to the viewpoint (10 m on your left). After another 15 m pass the summit (on your left).
	The starting point of an alternate route. A shorter alternate route skipping the Urban Fire Trail part of the journey. To take the alternate route turn left here. Details below. From the Gossan Six FT continue straight, to head along Gossan Six FT. After another 65 m (at the intersection of Radford FT & Gossan Six FT) continue straight, to head along Radford FT.
	After another 280 m (at the intersection of Urban FT & Radford FT) turn left, to head along Urban FT.
	After another 315 m (from the Urban FT) turn right (a footpath).
	After another 65 m come to the end.

A shorter alternate route skipping the Urban Fire Trail part of the journey.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	From the Gossan Six FT Start (a footpath). After another 50 m (from the Radford FT) continue straight, to head along Radford FT (a vehicle track).
	After another 80 m turn right.
	After another 10 m come to the end. At the end of this alternate route, rejoin the main route.

An alternate access from/to Radford College Car Park.

Turn map	Directions & comments
	Start. After another 50 m come to a gate.
	The end.

Terrain Know the Hills, grading & facilities

Gossan Hills Circuit

Grading

	Class 3/6 Moderate track
Length	2.9 km
Time	45 min to 1 h 15 min

Quality of track	Clear and well formed track or trail (2/6)
Gradient	Short steep hills (3/6)
Signage	Directional signs along the way (3/6)
Infrastructure	Generally useful facilities (such as fenced cliffs and seats) (2/6)
Experience Required	No experience required (2/6)
Weather	Weather generally has little impact on safety (2/6)

Weather & Alerts Check forecasts & closures
Weather Forecast
- Belconnen Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
  
  Tuesday 29 April
  
  20°C
  Showers developing.
  80% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. The chance of fog in the outer west early this morning. High chance of showers, most likely during this afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Light winds becoming southerly 15 to 20 km/h in the middle of the day then becoming light in the evening.
  
  Fire Danger Rating: No Rating
  
  UV Alert: Sun protection 9:40am to 1:50pm, UV Index predicted to reach 4 [Moderate]
  
  Wednesday 30 April
  
  10°C → 17°C
  Shower or two.
  50% chance of rain
  0 → 2mm
  
  Partly cloudy. High chance of showers, most likely from the late morning. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds south to southwesterly 25 to 35 km/h.
  
  Thursday 1 May
  
  6°C → 17°C
  Partly cloudy.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Cloudy. Very high chance of showers. The chance of a thunderstorm. Winds southwesterly 20 to 30 km/h turning southerly 25 to 35 km/h during the morning.
  
  Friday 2 May
  
  3°C → 19°C
  Partly cloudy.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. High chance of showers. Winds south to southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h becoming light during the evening.
  
  Saturday 3 May
  
  3°C → 20°C
  Mostly sunny.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Winds southwesterly 15 to 20 km/h turning southeasterly during the day.
  
  Sunday 4 May
  
  5°C → 21°C
  Cloudy.
  10% chance of rain
  
  Partly cloudy. Medium chance of showers. Light winds becoming easterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Monday 5 May
  
  7°C → 21°C
  Partly cloudy.
  20% chance of rain
  
  Cloudy. Slight chance of a shower. Light winds becoming east to northeasterly 15 to 20 km/h during the day.
  
  Forecast data thanks to © Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology
Alerts
- ACT Parks alerts
  When planning and before starting your trip please check ACT Parks Website for anything that may impact on your plans. It is also worth checking the Parks Facebook page for more timely information.

Weather Forecast

Alerts