Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1964 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed. It is named after Walter Burley Griffin, the American architect who won the design competition for the city of Canberra.
Griffin designed the lake with many geometric motifs, so that the axes of his design lined up with natural geog...
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Lake Burley Griffin is an artificial lake in the centre of Canberra, the capital of Australia. It was completed in 1964 after the Molonglo River—which ran between the city centre and Parliamentary Triangle—was dammed. It is named after Walter Burley Griffin, the American architect who won the design competition for the city of Canberra.
Griffin designed the lake with many geometric motifs, so that the axes of his design lined up with natural geographical landmarks in the area. However, government authorities changed his original plans and no substantial work was completed before he left Australia in 1920. His scheme remained unfulfilled as the Great Depression and World War II intervened, and it was not until the 1950s that planning resumed. After much political dispute over several proposed variations, excavation work began in 1960 with the energetic backing of Prime Minister Robert Menzies. After the completion of the bridges and dams, the dams were locked in September 1963. However...
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