Lake Burley Griffin

Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial central lake in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, created in the 1960s as the principal element of the city plan by Walter Burley Griffin. The lake is a designed urban amenity that shapes Canberra’s central parks, national institutions and ceremonial spaces.

The artificial waterbody is divided into the West, Central and East basins and is framed by major national sites including memorials, galleries and parkland. It is widely used for rowing, sailing, walking and seasonal public events, and features prominent structures such as the National Carillon and the Captain Cook Memorial Jet.

Construction involved damming and engineering works on the Molonglo River; the lake was filled in the early 1960s and became the focal point for subsequent national and civic landscaping. Since completion it has been managed as an urban reservoir, recreation area and civic boulevard.

Lake Burley Griffin sits in the heart of Canberra, with the Parliamentary Triangle and many national institutions on its northern shore and residential suburbs and parkland around the other edges.

• Creation and purpose: Created by damming the Molonglo River and filled in the early 1960s as the central element of Walter Burley Griffin's design for Canberra; the completed lake reshaped the city's central precinct.
• Recreation and events: The lake is ringed by extensive shared walking and cycling paths and hosts seasonal events such as the Floriade festival in spring at Commonwealth Park on the northern shore.

What to See #

• West Basin: The West Basin forms the western arm of the lake and is adjacent to Commonwealth Park and several cultural venues; it is popular for rowing and waterside events.
• Central Basin: The Central Basin runs past the Parliamentary Triangle and provides the setting for the Captain Cook Memorial Jet and formal lakeside vistas toward the Australian War Memorial.
• East Basin: The East Basin lies closer to the residential suburbs and includes parkland, yacht clubs and boat ramps used for recreational sailing and boating.
• National Carillon: A bell tower on Queen Elizabeth II Island within the lake; it is a prominent visual landmark and is accessed by a causeway from the lake edge.