Wow! Big Badja is a bald mound!

Today, I finally ticked off a goal from my bucket list—riding up to Big Badja! I joined Steve Burge and Bernie Te for a spontaneous adventure ride, and it turned into an epic day on the trails. Steve had mapped out our route: we’d start by riding through Namadgi National Park to Cooma, head to Big Badja, and potentially explore Misty Mountain to see if we could find a way through.
We met at the Ampol station in Jerrabomberra to fuel up and check our bikes. From there, we passed through Tharwa and entered Namadgi National Park. Steve’s GAIA Maps app was playing up a bit, freezing and causing occasional detours. After a quick stop at Brayshaws Hut (a first visit for Steve and Bernie), we crossed the border and continued on towards Shannons Flat.
As we rode through Shannons Flat, Steve’s maps acted up again, and we realised we’d missed a turn. We quickly doubled back onto Shannons Flat Road, where some roadwork was underway. Shortly after, we hit the tarmac and rolled into Cooma for fuel and a quick stop at Kuma’s Pie Shop. Steve mentioned that a friend, Brendan, was on his way up from Cobargo to meet us somewhere along Tom Groggin Road.
Once back on track, we rode along the Snowy Mountains Highway to the Tom Groggin turnoff, then onto dirt roads towards Nimmatabel. Soon enough, we met Brendan on the track. A quick hello, and we continued through Nimmatabel, turning onto Kybeyan Road and winding our way through Countegany and Tuross Road until we hit Badja Forest Road. This was where the real adventure began as we turned onto Badja Fire Trail to make our way up to Big Badja.
The trail was steep, rocky, and technical in parts, and it threw a few surprises our way. Bernie’s bike lost a rack-mounted pack when it got caught up in his back wheel, and Brendan had a minor spill further up the trail. After a few stops to recover, regroup, and check directions, we were back on course.
Finding the final turn to the summit took a bit of map-checking, but once we were on it, the short, steep climb led us to the top of Big Badja—a bald mound </titter> of rock offering a 360-degree view. I stalled once on the way up, but we all eventually reached the summit. Brendan opted to park near the base and walk up, and we spent some time taking in the incredible views from this high vantage point.
After the summit, the trail down was smoother, and we rejoined Badja Road at Pike’s Saddle. From there, we cruised along Krawarree and Cooma Roads—some of the smoothest dirt roads I’ve ridden in ages. Near Braidwood, we detoured onto Farringdon Road for a river crossing, then accidentally took Bombay Road (thanks to an easy-to-miss turn) before finding our way back to Little Bombay Road. Bernie pulled an impressive power turn, only to be surprised by a car just a couple of metres away—one of those spontaneous moments that make rides so memorable!
We finished the day with tarmac back to Queanbeyan, where we said our farewells. Brendan had a long ride back to Cobargo, and I headed west to wrap up an unforgettable day.
Huge thanks to Steve for organising the ride and to Bernie for joining—it was brilliant catching up and sharing the adventure with you both. And it was great to meet Brendan too. Here’s to more epic rides and new trails!

Ride Map