Brindabella Ranges

Brindabella Ranges is a mountain range in New South Wales, Australia. The Brindabellas are visible to the west of Canberra and form an important part of the city's landscape.

The name is said to mean “two kangaroo rats” in the language of the local Aborigines. However, another account states that "Brindy brindy" (or Brendy Bear) was a local term meaning water running over rocks and bella was presumably added by the Europeans as in "bella vista".

Brindabella National Park lies north-west of the NSW-ACT border abutting Namadgi National Park and covers an area of 213.6 square kilometres.

Brindabella Valley (Brendy Bear Valley), in the middle of the range, is 40 km south-west of Canberra and 350 km from Sydney. It is on the edge of the Snowy Mountains. The Goodradigbee River flows through the valley.

Before European settlement it was inhabited by the Ngunnawal, Walgalu and Djimantan Aborigines. 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 til 1910. It is now an agricultural area.

Australian author Miles Franklin grew up in the Brindabella Valley and wrote an autobiographical work, "Childhood at Brindabella", which told of her early life in the valley.

References

* [http://www.australianalps.deh.gov.au/parks/brindabella.html Brindabella National Park]
* [http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/NSWBrindabella.shtml Fairfax Walkabout travel guide to Brindabella Valley]
* [http://www.gold-net.com.au/archivemagazines/nov99/10728015.htm#9 Gold mining in the Brindabella Valley]