above the tree line at . Common species include prickly snow grass, alpine wallaby grass, silver snow daisy, ribbony grass, white purslane, eyebrights, gentians and buttercups. Most alpine species have a limited range. Peaks The highest mountain within the range is Bimberi Peak at 1,913 metres (6,276 ft), Mount Gingera at , Mount Ginini at , Mount Franklin at , Mount Aggie at , Mount Coree at , Mount Bramina at , Bulls Head at , Black Bottle Mountain at , Mount Lickhole at , and Brindabella Mountain at . Nature reserves and national parks The range straddles both the Brindabella National Park and Kosciuszko National Park, within New South Wales, and the Namadgi National Park, within the ACT and covers an area of . The Brindabella Valley, in the middle of the range, is south-west of Canberra and from Sydney. The valley is on the edge of the Snowy Mountains and the Goodradigbee River flows through the valley. History The traditional custodians of the area now known as the Brindabella Range are the Ngunnawal, Walgalu and Djimantan, all Aboriginal Australian peoples. The Brindabella Valley, located in New South Wales to the west of the range, was first settled by Europeans as a stock outstation for the Yarralumla station in the 1830s, with the first land grant made in 1849. Gold was found in 1860 and mined from the 1880s. In 1887 the Brindabella Gold Mining Company was formed and mining continued until 1910. The valley is now an agricultural area and consists of a number of small cattle farms including the heritage-listed Brindabella Station, the childhood home of Miles Franklin, an early 20th-century Australian author. Australian author Miles Franklin grew up in the Brindabella Valley and wrote an autobiographical work, Childhood at Brindabella, which told of her early life in the valley. Etymology The name brindabella is said to mean “two kangaroo rats” in one of the local Aboriginal language. However, another account states that "Brindy brindy" was a local term meaning water running over rocks and bella was added by the Europeans from the Italian bella vista, meaning "beautiful view". Snow country The most northerly ski fields in Australia are located in the Brindabella Range and include the Namadgi National Park in the ACT and Bimberi Nature Reserve and Brindabella National Park in New South Wales. The highest mountain in the ACT is Bimberi Peak, which lies above