For those that live here, or simply are visiting Canberra, Lake Burley Griffin is a masterful centerpiece of our beautifully planned city.

Sarah Pritchard takes a look at the lake, and why she has fallen in love with all its many features.

It’s a big, gorgeous expanse of water cutting our National Capital in half, with graceful bridges gently curving over the calm waters. The Captain Cook Memorial Fountain is a definite feature, displaying such high pressure that water droplets sometimes hits the cars on Commonwealth Bridge when the wind is high. As such, it’s a very Canberra experience to suddenly have a wet windscreen when there’s not a single cloud in the sky!

Being the largest of the city’s several lakes, ‘LBG’ serves as a centre for many Canberra happenings over the year.

In Spring and in Summer

Floriade!
Flowers, flowers everywhere! For a whole month, themed flowerbeds sit in Commonwealth Park right next to the lake. Performers take to Stage 88 as markets, cafes and rides entertain the 40,000 people who stroll through the gates to admire the intricate and evolving floral designs.

How about a picnic?
There are many lovely spots – basically anywhere around the lake where there’s some grass! The nicest is Lennox Park, just a short walk from the Hyatt. Here, tree branches provide heaps of shade, surrounding a small pergola in a peaceful Japanese garden bridged to the water by fields of grass.

On the water
All sorts of water bound vessels take to the lake: cruise boats, sail boats, canoes, kayaks and paddle boats… just to name a few. The paddleboats are a particularly nice way of seeing the lake while tiny splashes of water hit the side of the boat. Paddle under the bridges, or even towards the small island where the National Carillion stands – if your legs will take you!.

My parents were married there, at the Carillion on Aspen Island, almost 25 years ago! Mum points it out every time we drive over the bridge. She likes to tell us she made her dress and that it was a windy day.

In Autumn and in Winter

Balloons
This is the time of year for balloons! Gigantic creations in mind-boggling shapes take to the skies from the lawns of Parliament House and reign every morning for about a week. It is in the top four ballooning events in the world, including live entertainment to make you forget that you got up early to stand in the cold.

Walking and Cycling
For the health conscious Canberran, a 30km path leads all the way around Lake Burley Griffin (perfect for cycling!), one that takes several hours to walk, particularly if you stop and look at the placards along the water for the annual Australian of the Year. It’s a glorious site on a winter morning, especially as the fog lifts in the early light.

The lake is purposefully designed to sit between the Capital’s landmarks, most of which have cafes to get hot coffee and look at artifacts. The War Memorial looks down on the lake from the north side, while the National Library, the High Court, the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery all line the southern shore There are plenty of things to see… all these places boast interesting works of art both outside and in. If you’re feeling lazy, you can grab a Segway and roll between the bridges!

Fireworks!
Lastly, all year round this is the place in Canberra for events that involve fireworks. The only criterion is that it gets dark at some point during the event! In March, Skyfire lights up the sky and the colours reflect off the lake timed to music. In the summer we end Australia Day with another colourful display of sparks and gun powder.

There is just so much to Lake Burley Griffin. I can’t imagine what our city would be like without it!