Australian Heritage Festival uncovers some Canberra secrets

The Weetangera Cemetery is one of the oldest in Canberra. It was the site of a Methodist church which was built in 1873 and served the community for close to 80 years.

Thomas and Mary Southwell, two of the earliest pioneers of the district, are buried there, as are many of their ancestors.

On April 29 it will be one of 38 checkpoints in the National Trust Urban Polaris, a bicycle navigation event that takes in many well-known, and plenty of less well-known, heritage sites around Canberra.

It is one of many events to be held during the Australian Heritage Festival which will be held nationwide from April 18 to May 21.

Event organiser Scott McAlister, chair of the Australian Council of National Trusts, president of National Trust ACT and avid cyclist, said the polaris was a fun way to create community awareness of heritage issues.

"It's also a great way to find some of those niche places that are scattered around Canberra that people might not even know about," Mr McAlister said.

"You would think you'd be worried about running out of checkpoints but you'd be amazed what's out there."

The checkpoints are kept secret until the morning of the ride - you know one now - but include fossil sites, sites of historical military significance and buildings which have connections to the earliest days of settlement in the region.

Last year, the Polaris had 100 teams of two, the winning team covered 36 of the 38 checkpoints in the seven allocated hours, covering about 135km.

"But riders can take the day at their own pace, we have riders as young as 12 and some in their 70s."

There are still places open for this year's event, which has been funded in part by the ACT Government's Heritage Grant Program.

The festival was launched by the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove on Tuesday.

More than 1000 events will be presented over the five weeks, celebrating Australia's historic, natural, indigenous and multicultural heritage.

The Australian Government has committed to a new three-year partnership with the National Trust in order to support and grow the festival and has merged what used to be Heritage Week under the banner of the Australian Heritage Festival, now making this the main annual celebration of heritage in Australia.

Other events in Canberra include traditional Aboriginal weaving workshops, an exhibition on the Black Mountain nature reserve and its national and cultural history and a series of walks around Lake Burley Griffin, which explore heritage sites on the lake's shores.