Brindabella Valley
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The Brindabella Valley is located midway along the Goodradigbee River in the south of New South Wales, Australia.
The valley is framed by the Brindabella Ranges and Fiery Mountain Ranges, most notably by Mount Bramina and Bulls Head in the north and Black Bottle Mountain and Mount Franklin in the south. The valley is largely gentle, undulating farmland rising from 620 metres ASL in the north to 700 metres ASL in the south. Most of the native vegetation in the valley has been removed in favour of pasture, fruit trees and other exotic species, however the surrounding mountains are largely National Parks populated entirely with natives.
Brindabella Valley is comprised of a number of small cattle farms including heritage-listed Brindabella Station, the childhood home of the famous early 20th century Australian author Miles Franklin. Before European settlement it was inhabited by the Ngunawal, Walgalu and Djimantan Indigenous Australians. The area was first settled in the 1830s by European squatters with land first being purchased in 1849. Gold was found in 1860 but mined from the 1880s; in 1887 the Brindabella Gold Mining Company was formed. Mining continued until 1910. It is now an agricultural area.
Access to Brindabella valley is via dirt roads from Canberra or Tumut. A further road runs through Long Plain toward Rules Point and Kiandra, but is private and access is rarely permitted. All roads are subject to frequent closures during heavy snow in winter.
The Goodbradigbee is a popular trout fishing location for Canberra anglers and camp sites are provided on the east bank of the river within the valley. Much of the river is difficult to reach without crossing private property and anglers should be aware that certain landowners are unlikely to grant access.
A notable feature of the valley are the transmission lines running from the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme to Canberra.
