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Known as The Bush Capital, Canberra was chosen by the Parliament as the capital city of Australia for many reasons, but the most important is the environmental condition, which consists of the sublimity of nature, its invigorating climate, and foremost, its water supply.
The artificial Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra is one of the most well-known and great places to visit. The fact that this large lake was an artificial lake did not hinder it from providing habitats for various wildlife.
The Records of Lake Burley Griffin Canberra
It began with an international city design competition for the new capital of Australia held by the Australian Government around 1911. Charles Scrivener has suggested Canberra as the site since it can reserve a good water supply since it was the part where The Molonglo River flowed.
An American architect couple participated in the competition with their city design which incorporated an artificial lake at the heart of the design concept. Incorporated the National Triangle to place most imperative national buildings along with the artificial lake, the design concept was elevating very geometrical shapes to connect various topography of Canberra.
Hence, the city was designed to be divided into two, cut through by the artificial lake from the east to the west.
It turned out that the American architect couple won the competition. The Australian Government then invited them to inspect the area in 1913. The architect was appointed to oversee the design of North and South Canberra.
However, some internal and external difficulties caused the architect to resign from the project in 1920.
Charles Scrivener then suggested some modifications to the design, yet the development of Canberra still adopted the winner’s concept, including the artificial lake. The excavation commenced in 1960, and on 17 October 1964, Menzie held a commemoration of the lake filling for the first stage.
The lake’s name was after the architect’s name Walter Burley Griffin.
Details of Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin consists of three main Basins: the Central, East, and West Basins. According to the initial design plan, Lake Burley Griffin had six islands made of three small islands and three large islands:
- Queen Elizabeth II Island in the Central Basin,
- Springbank and Spinnaker islands in the West Basin.
Some beaches and sailing courses were also developed. They are located in the West Lake known as Yarralumla beach, Tarcoola Reach, Western Park East, and Black Mountain Beach.
The water to fill the lake came from the dam built according to the modified plan, as suggested by Scrivener, and it is then called Scrivener Dam.
Before the lake-filling process, two bridges were also built. They are Kings Avenue Bridge and Commonwealth Avenue Bridge. In addition to those bridges, a roadway over the Scrivener dam has also been developed.
What Surrounded And What To Do Around The Lake Burley Griffin
As mentioned earlier, Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra was the capital’s focal point, yet the national triangle has been formed step by step. However, the national triangle does not only consist of national institutions or vital government buildings. It also has public areas and substantial green spaces.
Within the 11 km length and 40,5 km shoreline, there are so many attractions happening in Lake Burley throughout the year. The daily activities tourists may do here are commonly picnicking in the lovely parks and picnic areas, cycling, or walking in the dedicated paths.
The lake is an open stage for kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddle boarding, windsurfing, sailing, dragon and model boating, rowing, fishing, and even swimming.
Central Basin is particularly used to organize Triathlons, and in March, it is busy with the balloon festival. Visitors can take a triathlon swimming training course at the West Basin.
One of the tourist attractions is National Carillons, located on Queen Elizabeth II island and opened in 1970 along with the Captain James Cook memorial.
Make your visit to the Lake Burley area comfortable by staying at some of the top-notch accommodations close to the lake. There are Hotel Hyatt Canberra with a parliament house ambiance, The Sebel Canberra Campbell with Appartement style, or Peppers Gallery Hotel with spacious rooms and an open-air restaurant area.
Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra is such a welcoming place to visit for any traveler. If you love history, you can visit museums and national buildings like the Parliament House, The National Gallery of Australia, Australian War Memorial Museum. Anyone who loves flourishing wildlife and stays in shape will find it an ideal place to do sport while meeting Kangaroos, go birdwatching, or admire floras.