Lake Burley Griffin: is an integral part of Canberra’s landscape. Canberra is Australia’s capital. The Lake was formed by damming the Molonglo River that flows through the centre of Canberra.
The lake is named after Walter Burley Griffin who was the winner of the National Capital design competition in 1912. The Lake was an important element in his Canberra proposal.
Construction of the Lake commenced in 1960 and involved the building of Scrivener Dam. The Lake began to fill in 1963 when the valves of the dam were closed. The Lake filled in 1964.
The next stage involved landscaping along the foreshores. Landscaping and maintenance continues to the present.
Two bridges cross the Lake. Commonwealth Avenue Bridge has five spans and Kings Avenue Bridge has seven spans.
Scrivener Dam is named after Charles Scrivener who suggested the site of the dam which is 235 metres long. Flow is controlled by hydraulically operated “fish belly” flap gates, apparently these are rare in Australia.
Lake Burley Griffin is an important freshwater ecosystem. The Jerrabomberra Wetlands is situated at the eastern end of the Lake and is valuable habitat for many waterbird species.
Most of the area, around the Lake, is available for public recreation. There are parks, picnic areas, walking tracks and cycleways. The Lake is used for sailing and canoeing.
Lake Burley Griffin is a shallow lake formed in the floodplain of the Molonglo River. At Scrivener Dam the Lake is at its deepest with a depth of 17.6 metres. The Lake has a mean depth of four metres with an area of 664 hectares, nine kilometres long, a width that varies from 300 to 1200 metres and a perimeter of 40.5 kilometres. There are six islands in the Lake.
A number of nationally significant buildings are close to the Lake. These include the National Library of Australia, the High Court of Australia and the National Gallery of Australia.
The photograph was taken, some years ago, from the Telstra Tower situated in the Black Mountain Nature Reserve.

Environment