Mount Tennent (

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

: ') is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

with an elevation of in the southern part of the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

in Australia. The Gudgenby River flows at the base of the mountain.

Location and features

Mount Tennent is named after a local

bushranger Bushrangers were originally escaped convicts in Australia, convicts in the early years of the History of Australia (1788–1850), British settlement of Australia who used The bush#Australia, the bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities. B ...

, John Tennant who had a hideout on the slopes of the mountain in 1827. It had previously been named Mount Currie by Allan Cunningham after Captain Mark Currie, who led the first European expedition nearby (Fraser and McJannett) in 1823.

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples o ...

refer to the mountain as ''Tharwa'', also the name of the village at the northern foot of the mountain. In 2004,

ACTEW Icon Water Limited, trading principally as Icon Water, is a water and wastewater public utility that is an Australian Capital Territory-owned corporation. The company provides drinking water and wastewater services to the ACT. Icon Water is also ...

announced that the creation of a large

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including control ...

by damming the Gudgenby River below Mount Tennent, was one of three options being considered as part of the ''Future Water Options Project'' in order to provide improved reliability and increased supply of

potable water Drinking water is water that is used in drink or food preparation; potable water is water that is safe to be used as drinking water. The amount of drinking water required to maintain good health varies, and depends on physical activity level, ...

for Canberra and the ACT. By 2005, the ACT Government decided that the creation of the Mount Tennent dam would not proceed, instead opting for the enlargement of the Cotter Dam.

Recreation

Mount Tennent is home to Australia's Outward Bound HQ. Throughout the year Mt Tennent is used by Outward Bound as camping grounds for their courses. Outward Bound also plant many native trees in the area as an environmental initiative. Mt Tennent also has a variety of walking trails and driving trails throughout its range. Many people travel from the base of the mountain to the summit every day as a part of exercise and recreational habit.

Note

There is a spelling difference between the naming of the mountain and the bushranger's name.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennent, Mount Mountains of the Australian Capital Territory

Location and features

Recreation

Note

References

Further reading

External links