Revisit Canberra: The Lakes
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Typical of a travel brochure, many of our iconic Canberra attractions are really only ever visited by locals when family or friends come to town. As was the case for Bethany Nevile recently. Having only ever visited places such as Telstra Tower, the National Museum and the National Library for school excursions, complained about being dragged to them as a kid, or realising she had never actually ever checked them out, Beth decided to make a re-visit and live it list—for Canberra that is.
Over the next few months, she will rediscover these iconic Canberra tourist attractions, (the ones we’re all guilty of driving by each day without giving a second thought), but with new eyes, fresh enthusiasm and the determination to reinvigorate an appreciation for her home town all over again.
Spring has most definitely sprung, and now is the perfect time to get out and explore the bush capital. Next up on my list are some of Canberra’s big, beautiful and (somewhat) natural landmarks I take for granted—the Lakes. From inner city to the south and even out west, Canberra is blessed with local water hangouts despite its identity as a landlocked city.
Lake Burley Griffin
Created to sit at the geographical centre of Canberra, the shores of Lake Burley Griffin are home to many of the city’s other institutional landmarks—the National Library, National Gallery of Australia, National Museum of Australia and the High Court. The manmade lake itself is 664 hectares with 40.5 kilometres of shoreline and six islands within its containment including Aspen Island at the eastern edge of the central basin and home to the Carillon, Springbank Island named after the former Springbank Farm and Spinnaker Island to the lake’s north.
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Although not ideal for swimming, there are plenty of great activities to take part in on the lake. From sailing to kayaking, dragon boating and fishing, even paddle boarding has taken up residency on the waters of Lake Burley Griffin. Of course, there are also plenty of scenic walking and cycling tracks if you prefer to stay dry and your feet firmly on land. The Boundless National Children’s Playground has also just opened in King’s Park, which provides a huge play space (the size of an AFL field) for kids of all levels of physical ability.
A great cause and a great playground- what’s not to love? Last month, marked Lake Burley Griffin’s 50th anniversary but while the official celebrations are over, there are still plenty of ongoing events taking place to honour the jubilee occasion. Take part in one of the special walks around the Central Basin or explore the inauguration of Lake Burley Griffin in the exhibition Watershed at Canberra Museum and Gallery showing until 23 November 2014.
Lake Ginninderra
Venturing from the centre of the city west to Lake Ginninderra in Belconnen, you’ll find plenty on offer (and not just the sheer quantity of playgrounds). While it may be younger and smaller than its inner city counterpart, for me Lake Ginninderra is a place of fond memories from when I grew up—family barbecues at sunset, chasing after my dogs as they debated a swim and bravely climbing to the very top of the playground with my brothers.
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Recently, I took a friend’s two daughters to John Knight Memorial Park on the banks of Lake Ginninderra. The playgrounds I used to play on were actually burnt down several years ago but have been rebuilt and remodelled. Most importantly, you can still reach the top of the ‘red’ playground and share the view with a snake (if you’ve been there, you know what I mean). There’s two large playgrounds catering to different ages, which means children of any age have somewhere comfortable to play. There’s also a flying fox, plenty of barbecues and rolling green lawns to play on.
The four year old managed to scavenge some bread from other friendly park-goers so we had an excellent time feeding the ducks and swans at the water’s edge too, although she felt it wise not to hand feed the pelican. But it’s the ability to explore its shoreline that makes Lake Ginninderra a natural outdoor adventureland. After feeding the birds, the girls and I carefully explored up and down the rocks and waterfalls, which made the girls feel like real adventurers—an activity that also encourages an appreciation for nature.
But John Knight Park isn’t the only excellent playground on Lake Ginninderra with Diddamns Close (north east side, accessible from Ginninderra Drive) and Macdermott Place (western side of the lake, off Joynton Smith Drive) also great spots to enjoy. Diddams Close even has a fenced in dog park, so is the perfect place to take your four-legged best friend.
Lake Tuggeranong
As a northsider, I haven’t yet had a chance to properly explore Canberra’s third lake, Lake Tuggeranong—but what I have discovered through a little research is that it too is an artificial lake bounded by Bonython and Kambah. It is a popular place for many a picnicker, walker or cyclist.
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Like Lake Ginninderra, there are two fenced dog parks, and great walking tracks and cycle paths that expand 6.7 kilometres (not quite the 40-odd kilometres of Lake Burley Griffin). A perfect spot for a quick dip when the weather warms up, there are certainly plenty of water-sports that can be enjoyed including fishing, wind-surfing and non-motorised boating.
If there are hidden retreats or pockets of the Lakes not mentioned above, please feel free to suggest them below in the comments!
Between the three lakes, Canberra has lots of lovely places to picnic, walk, play, run, sail, boat and more, and with summer fast approaching there is no better place to enjoy the sunshine than on their shores.
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