I had my picnic ready but delays keep waterfall off-limits

For generations of Canberrans, a journey out to Gibraltar Falls was a rite of passage.

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The routine was simple: pack a picnic, pile the kids into the car and head into the hills.

Gibraltar Falls infinity pool - now strictly off limits - was a popular spot to cool off before it was closed in 2023. Picture by Jamila Toderas

You'd bump over Point Hut Crossing, then wind up through the pine forests. Along the way, you'd brave the alpine slide at Corin Forest and holler "cooee!" across the Corin Dam wall to try to hear a booming echo bounce back.

Finally, you'd double back and arrive at the main event: that ribbon of icy-cold water tumbling down rugged, ancient granite cliffs - Gibraltar Falls.

It was the quintessential Canberra day trip - close enough to home to be easy, but far enough into the bush to feel like a genuine adventure.

One thing is for sure: I'll never forget my first visit. How could I?

It was midweek, at dawn. Surely, I'd have the place to myself?

Wrong!

Gibraltar Falls, one of our region's natural wonders, in 2011. Picture by Andrew Sheargold

I unwittingly gate-crashed a photo shoot involving several young women who were completely au naturel, and somehow, I don't think it was an academic field trip for anatomical studies!

I suspect they hadn't expected another living soul to be wandering around the rocks at that ungodly hour.

This photo of the infinity pool (now strictly off limits) was taken by Ralph Westen during a family trip in the early 1960s.

But unexpected magazine shoots aren't the falls' only secret.

Look beyond the spectacular cascade and the rocks reveal a much older story. Hidden among them are Aboriginal axe-grinding grooves, a reminder that this has been a place of human activity and connection for thousands of years.

This sign has greeted visitors to Gibraltar Falls since it was closed in early 2023. Picture by Tim the Yowie Man

And the granite tors high above the falls have their own seasonal visitors, with bogong moths gathering there in vast numbers as part of their remarkable annual migration. Heck, how good is it to see them streaming across Canberra again in such numbers this year!

However, the falls have also attracted a very different kind of visitor: artists looking to capture Canberra's wild heart.

Take acclaimed artist John Perceval. In 1966, while artist-in-residence at the Australian National University, he was looking for local waterways to paint. Environmental architect John Stevens suggested Gibraltar Falls, and the pair drove out to inspect it.

The falls have inspired many local artists including Phil Ryan of Batlow who painted 'Gibraltar Falls Trilogy' in 2015. Picture supplied

Perceval was sufficiently impressed to set up his easel near the cliff edge to paint the upper section of the falls. To give the canvas a sense of scale, Stevens and another companion stood on either side of the uppermost stream.

The resulting oil painting, Gibraltar Falls, was exhibited in Sydney and Melbourne that year. Fast-forward nearly 60 years to November 2025, and that very painting fetched $70,000 at auction.

Not bad, hey?

Tim has been visiting the falls since he was a teenager. Picture by Tim the Yowie Man

Oh, and a visit to the area was often combined with a picnic at Woods Reserve, just a short walk from the base of the falls. While studying at ANU in the early 1990s, I'd often drag my mates out there for early-morning barbecued breakfasts. Loui from the Bruce Hall kitchen would send us off at dawn with a carton of eggs, freshly baked rolls and an esky packed to the brim with bacon.

We'd cook up a storm in one of those old-school stone picnic shelters, then race each other up the creek to a rock pool for a swim.

Those were the days.

Young and carefree, the thought of anyone losing their life here was the last thing on our minds.

But, of course, that all changed following the tragic deaths of two people at the falls within days of each other in February 2023.

Desperate to prevent any further loss of life, authorities promptly locked the gates to the falls and lookout while they worked out how to minimise the chances of it happening again.

After being closed for an upgrade, the Woods Reserve camping area is set to reopen in early 2027. Picture by Tim the Yowie Man

With privately owned Ginninderra Falls having been off-limits for more than 20 years, Canberra's waterfall lovers have copped a double whammy - one long-closed natural wonder and now another temporarily off-limits.

But now we'll have to wait a little longer.

Until this week, the ACT government was advising a "late spring 2026" reopening. Now it's "early 2027". Another government project delayed? Who'd have thought! Better safe than sorry, I suppose.

The closure will now stretch to four years, raising a bigger question: how far should we go to make our wild places safe?

A floral tribute at the falls after two people died in 2023. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

It's a common question in the age of the "Instagram tourist".

A 2025 study by researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) surveyed 1009 people who had visited coastal national parks. It found that 32 per cent had visited a park because of social media. Of those, 65 per cent went there to take photographs, while 36 per cent of that group said they had taken photos in potentially risky locations, such as cliff edges or beyond safety barriers.

Oh dear.

The researchers concluded that social media-driven visitation presents new safety challenges for park managers.

A safer rock pool on a section of Gibraltar Creek well below the falls. Picture by Tim the Yowie Man

At Gibraltar Falls, authorities are attempting to strike a balance, incorporating safety measures into an upgrade of the precinct, including a new fenced viewing area overlooking the falls.

But the aim isn't to make nature risk-free - nobody can promise that. It is to give visitors a safer way to experience a landmark that has been drawing people into the mountains for generations.

Meanwhile, a revamped Woods Reserve will boast new accessible toilets and hot showers, improved parking, picnic shelters and interpretive signage incorporating Ngunnawal artwork and language.

Police tape at the reserve in 2023. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

I just hope it's not too much of a change from the Gibraltar Falls and Woods Reserve we all remember.

But I guess we'll just have to wait at least a few more months to find out.

A natural wonder

Tucked away in Namadgi National Park, Gibraltar Falls is one of the ACT's most spectacular natural attractions. With the precinct now not expected to reopen until early 2027, here are five interesting facts to remind you about this local treasure.

Dashing dragonfly: Keep an eye out for the Alpine Redspot Dragonfly (Austropetalia tonyana), a rare species listed as vulnerable in the ACT. The damp, spray-soaked environment around waterfalls provides specialised habitat for these fascinating insects. While Gibraltar Falls is closely associated with the species, there have been no recorded sightings there since the 2003 bushfires. Could it still be hiding among the rocks?

The gorge: The spectacular falls plunge about 50 metres over rugged granite, with the gorge extending about 800 metres downstream towards Woods Reserve.

Feathered friends: The surrounding forest and rocky gullies provide habitat for a variety of birds. Listen carefully and you might hear the distinctive calls of a superb lyrebird or the laughing call of a kookaburra.

It's all in a name: The name "Gibraltar" appears in local land records as early as 1864, when a watercourse was recorded as "Gibraltar Rivulet". According to local legend, the name was inspired by the resemblance of the area's striking granite boulders to the famous Rock of Gibraltar. However, historians have been unable to verify this explanation. One thing is for sure - the name was established well before Edward "Ned" Woods settled beside Gibraltar Creek in 1893.

Drought-defying flow: Although Gibraltar Creek has a relatively small catchment compared with major rivers, it is remarkably resilient. Historically, even during droughts, I'm not aware of it ever drying up.

WHERE IN CANBERRA?

Recognise this lookout? Picture by Tim the Yowie Man

Rating: Easy - Medium

Clue: Safer than skating

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and address to tym@iinet.net.au. The first correct email received after 10am, Saturday October 17 wins a double pass to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema.

The Corin Dam spillway. Picture by Tim the Yowie Man

Last week: Congratulations to Geoffrey Wardrobe of Gordon who was the first reader to correctly identify last week's photo as the spillway at Corin Dam. Geoffrey just beat Peter Stevenson of Macarthur and Peter Harris of Latham to the prize, the latter of whom noted "in 2015, repair and upgrade works were carried out to the spillway and its interface with the clay core of the dam wall". The photo attracted a larger than normal number of light-hearted entries, including Andrew Z who suggested "it's the Jamaican bobsled team training facility". Warning: while you can walk along the dam wall, access to the spillway or throwing anything into it, including rocks, is strictly forbidden.

The infinity pool

An advertisement for Gibraltar Falls at Dallas Fort Worth Airport in 2021. Picture by Benn W

Until the 2023 tragedies at Gibraltar Falls, the so-called "infinity pool" near the top of falls was frequently used to promote our region and Australia to international tourists - despite authorities strongly discouraging visitors from leaving designated viewing areas.

In this column on November 6, 2021, I questioned that promotional strategy:

"I also think it's a bit cheeky for our national tourism body to be promoting the infinity pool. Although access to the pool is not prohibited, local authorities 'recommend visitors avoid being close to the edges at the falls as this is highly dangerous'. A spokesperson for ACT Parks and Conservation Service advises, 'there are plenty of safe and established viewing areas around the waterfall', adding 'a picture for social media is not worth risking your life or the lives of rescuers'. The parks authority urges visitors to 'please pay attention to signs, pathways and fencing in the area.'"

Now, as part of the falls' redevelopment, an ACT government spokesperson has confirmed that when the area reopens, "access to the infinity pool will no longer be permitted. New fencing is [being] erected to restrict access to the area."

Let's hope future visitors heed the warnings and stay safely behind the new barriers.