Saturday 20 March 2027
Start From: 8:30 am
NOTE: Buses will depart at 9:00 am for the journey to the 21km start point.
Ready for the Challenge?
Usually the most popular walk, the Saturday 21km will take you through forest and natural bushland to suburban areas, around Parliament House and back to Event HQ.
Above: Walkers rest and take in the view along the 21km route
Saturday 21km Hike
Fadden Pines is the halfway checkpoint for the marathon walkers.
Starting at Fadden Pines, the initial portion of the walk follows bitumen paths and is relatively flat. The route becomes more interesting as you leave the path and enter Wanniassa Hill Nature Reserve and onto Isaacs Ridge.
You will walk through the MacArthur Horse Paddocks area, where kangaroos are often seen on grassland areas.
Isaacs Ridge offers gorgeous views back across Woden, and this section gives a real feeling of having traveled far from the city.
The lower slopes of Mugga Mugga are part of an endangered Box-Gum woodland ecological area. The trail features some elevation gain as you make your way through Mount Mugga Mugga Nature Reserve.
The route continues as you skirt along the bottom of Red Hill Nature Reserve. You can peer into the back gardens of some of Canberra’s most expensive houses as you make your way down toward Parliament House.
You will approach Parliament House on a path through the manicured bushland, providing a lovely and quite different contrast to the natural bushland you’ve been walking through earlier.
The route goes through gardens that surround Parliament House and down to the Nara Peace Park.
Around Parliament House and a Stop at the World Peace Bell
Walk around Parliament House, built into Capital Hill, then descend through the gardens to the Nara Peace park.
A feature of the annual MarchMingle.
The checkpoint is at the World Peace Bell. Join the tradition of striking the bell and sharing words of peace – a meaningful pause before your final stretch.
The route then goes around the central basin of Lake Burley Griffin and across Kings Avenue Bridge, past the National Carillion as you head west through Commonwealth Park and back to finish at the National Film and Sound Archive.
Lake Burley Griffin to the Finish
