Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin was created in 1963 as part of the Walter Burley Griffin city plan for Canberra, drawn up after Griffin and his wife Marion Mahony Griffin won the international competition for the federal capital design in 1912. The lake was the centerpiece of the plan but took 50 years to complete because the early federal governments could not agree on funding it. Construction finally started in 1959 and the lake was officially inaugurated in October 1964.

The lake is 11 kilometres long, covers around 6.6 square kilometres, and was created by damming the Molonglo River with the Scrivener Dam at the western end. It is named after the original architect Walter Burley Griffin, an American who was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright and brought the City Beautiful movement design philosophy to the Australian capital.

The lake is ringed by most of the major national institutions on the southern shore, including Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the National Gallery of Australia, the High Court of Australia, the National Library, the National Portrait Gallery and the Reconciliation Place memorial. The northern shore has the Australian National University, the Australian National Botanic Gardens (on the slopes of Black Mountain) and the National Museum of Australia at Acton Peninsula.

The Captain Cook Memorial Jet, in the central lake basin, is a 147 metre water jet that operates daily and is one of the tallest fountains in the world. It was installed in 1970 to mark the bicentenary of Cook's voyage and runs from 11am to 2pm daily, with extended hours in summer. The Bridge to Bridge cycling loop runs around the lake and connects with Canberra's extensive bike path network.

The lake is best in spring and autumn when the trees on the foreshores have their seasonal colour. Summer brings the Skyfire fireworks festival, the Multicultural Festival, and Floriade in nearby Commonwealth Park. Winter mornings often deliver mist on the lake at sunrise, which is a favourite shot for Canberra photographers.