Gentle Bikepacking on the Boboyan Divide

A few weeks ago I took my third bikepacking visit to Namadgi National Park to ride the Old Boboyan Road, taking in a bunch of Kosciusko Huts in the process. My previous visits were in Winter and Spring 2021, so it’s been a hot minute and this was my first summer trip.

After all the rain through winter and spring, the place was absolutely blooming with grasses and wildflowers, and buzzing with march flies! They weren’t enough to spoil the serenity of this beautiful national park, that’s just a stone’s throw from Canberra. 

Day 1 on the Boboyan Divide

Being so close, an hour’s drives, it’s a wonder why I don’t go here all the time! If you’re in Canberra and just wanted a night away, you could easy park at the north end (as we did, and ride a few short but stunning kms to Frank and Jack’s Hut… or park at the South end of Grassy Creek Fire Trail and head in 1.5km to Westerman’s Homestead where we camped.

Between these two points though, is roughly 25km (with some hut detours) of fantastic gravel riding, without too much climbing, a couple of shallow creek crossings and no shortage of gorgeous views.

I’d say this route is best ridden on a bike with a good amount of rubber (2” plus) though your bike of choice can be what suits you. It gets a little rough in places but nothing technical and it’s definitely a route that inspires a leisurely pace.

Mattie and I were both on drop bar gravel bikes with about 2” of tyre, while Jon was on his fresh Surly Karate Monkey with flat bars and 2.85” of comfy af tread. Jon was definitely the most comfortable of the three of us, but I was happy riding my Midnight Special and don’t regret my choice. 

Westermans Homestead

Bikepacking for me is as much about where you stop as it is about where you ride. Travelling by bike enables me to get to wonderful places and really take them in and be still and present in the environment for a while. I get a good bit of those feels just stopping at a nice spot for a coffee or snack, or to grab a photo, but carrying a meal and enough kit for an overnighter with you can provide a greater opportunity to really enjoy it. 

I never look at camping as something luxury, no matter how good my kit is or what treats I take with me, it’s simply a means to let me go to sleep and then wake up in a beautiful spot. Westermans hut, part of the Kosciuszko Huts collection of historic shelters, is one such location. It’s actually situated pretty near the main Boboyan Road, so accessible by car and a 1.5km walk up the fire trail from the southern end of the ACT… but you wouldn’t know it when you’re there.

The views are stunning and the atmosphere serene. The hut itself is spacious and welcoming with a good fire place and an enclosed wood store. Treat it with respect and use it at your leisure for a spot to take shelter from the elements or sit in some warmth while you cook up a meal. There’s good flat grassland outside for pitching a tent for the night and a creek a short walk away… though it was a wee bit green and still looking for us, so we opted for filtering water from the rain water tank by the hut. There’s also a decent toilet. 

We arrived just before sundown and got to enjoy the last of the day’s light while we enjoyed our dinner and a (slightly warm) beer on the veranda. A slightly chilly night brought some sparkle to the morning ground and the sunrise from my tent door was gorgeous. 

Day 2 on the Boboyan Divide

Mattie, Jon and I continued our ride from Westerman’s Homestead, to the end of Grassy Creek Firetrail to meet Boboyan Road at the southern border of the ACT and NSW. We then climbed along the quiet gravel of what is essentially a main road, past Brayshaws Homestead and turned onto the Old Boboyan Road. This next section of trail, along to the joining of Grassy Creek Firetrail, before the Nass Creek Crossing, has got to be one off my favourite bits of gravel cycling in the ACT. The rolling terrain through open, boulder strewn plains is just glorious. Plenty of grass up the middle, separating two ribbons of the dusty and fast rolling carpet of rock and sand beneath your tyres. Away from everyday human life and watched only by the gatherings of kangaroos and the occasional wedge tailed eagle overhead. 

The Nass Creek is fast flowing and always refreshingly clear. It’s a good spot for refilling your bottle, with help from a water filter, and a quick wash on a hot day like this! 

After a dip and a puncture repair we were back on familiar tracks and on the return back for the car. Despite riding back along the same trail for the second half of our second day, the views in the opposite direction more than make up for retracing our pedal strokes. 

If you live in, or within relative easy reach of the ACT, I’d highly recommend spending a couple of days in Namadgi … there’s more to explore than just the Boboyan Divide route, but it’s a great slice of the action and provides more than its fair share of Kosciuszko Huts, views, and wonderful riding.

The Boboyan Divide Route