Kanga (Winnie the Pooh)
Kanga is a female kangaroo and the doting mother of Roo. The two live in a house near the Sandy Pit in the northwestern part of the forest. Kanga is the only female character to appear in the books. She was based on a stuffed toy that belonged to Christopher Robin Milne.
When Kanga and Roo first come to the forest in chapter seven of Winnie-the-Pooh, everyone thinks Kanga is a fierce animal, but discover this to be untrue and become friends with her. In the books, when Tigger comes to the forest, she welcomes him into her home, attempts to find him food he likes and allows him to live with her and Roo. After this, Kanga treats him much the way she does her own son.
Kanga is kind-hearted, calm, patient and docile. She likes to keep things clean and organized, and offers motherly advice and food to anyone who asks her. She is protective over Roo, almost obsessively, and treats him with kind words and gentle discipline. She also has a sense of humor, as revealed in chapter seven of Winnie-the-Pooh when Rabbit connives to kidnap Roo, leaving Piglet in his place; Kanga pretends not to notice that Piglet is not Roo and proceeds to give him Roo's usual bath, much to Piglet's dismay.
Kowen Roo
Kowen Roo is a large series of 94 caches spanning 24km. The series is more than just a pretty picture, the caches are in many different and interesting locations. You will be surprised of the diversity of the landscape throughout Kowen Forest.
The Kowen Pine Forest area is restricted for vehicle access, so you will find locked gates all the way around. There is a sign at each gate: (authorised vehicles only - surveillance cameras are used in the area to detect illegal activity).
Check if the area is closed for an event before you go. It can be closed for car rallies and other events. Watch for rally cars, 4WDs, logging trucks, bull-dozers and dirt bikes.
There is access from the west side and also from the north.
Feel free to take a push bike, though the series does not stick to the tracks.
The entire length of Kowen Roo is 24km so you may want to split it into sections.
Most of the off-track is easy and pleasant to walk with hardly any blackberries.
I didn't come across many spiders but I did see plenty of roos, rabbits, a fox and a great range of birds.
Plan ahead and take:
- at least 2 litres of water per person (more when it's hot)
- food
- pens
- bike(optional)
Kowen Pine Forest
Kowen is perhaps best known for its large pine plantations, known as Kowen Forest. A combined softwood plantation and firewood forest was established at Kowen in about 1926, on land described as otherwise useless. An additional 100 acres of pinus insignis were planted at Kowen in 1928 as part of a 1,000 acre expansion of pine plantations across the new Federal Territory district. When most of Canberra's forest estate was destroyed in the January 2003 bushfire, the Kowen plantation was the only forest that remained undamaged.
Parking, Access and Closures
Refer to Kowen Roo #01 for information about Kowen Pine Forest Parking, Access and Closures