Enjoy A One-Hour Cruise on Lake Burley Griffin
For a unique Canberra experience aboard the Gull, see the Canberra city and Parliamentary Zone at twilight. Learn about your nation’s capital city history and the layout of Canberra as Walter Burley Griffin imagined it.
See major attractions from the water, including the High Court, the National Museum of Australia, the National Library of Australia, and the National Carillon.
Hosted by CDAA ACT member Ann Villiers, join Skipper Garnett for an informative and entertaining one-hour cruise on Lake Burley Griffin, followed by dining options if you wish.
Date: Friday, 20th September 2019
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Cost: $20.00 per person (Paid in cash when boarding the boat)
Reservations: Numbers are limited to 20 people, so register early. If you find later that you are unable to use your reserved place, please let GEMS know so someone else can go.
Registration for the cruise is done through the online registration page, click the below button to access the registration page.
Logistics: Meet Ann Villiers at the rear entrance to the Hyatt (the lake end) at 5.40 pm sharp, after the Networking Function. We'll walk to the Canberra Yacht Club, Mariner Place, Yarralumla, about 10 - 12 minutes from the Hyatt. Cruise departs from Lotus Bay Jetty at 6 p.m.
While the boat is enclosed, bring a jacket (it's cool a night), and wear comfortable, preferably flat, shoes. Nibbles during the cruise will be supplied.
For further information about the Cruise contact Ann Villiers on 0409 174 118.
Post-Cruise Dining Options
Canberra Yacht Club Restaurant
The Yacht Club Restaurant enjoys a stunning waterfront location by Lake Burley Griffin. Enjoy the extensive a la carte menu or choose from a two or three course group menu.
The Restaurant is part of the Southern Cross Club; drop off where the cruise starts. Walk back to the Hyatt.
For reservations call 02 6273 1784 or click here for more information.
Waters Edge
Water’s Edge is one Canberra’s most respected (up market) restaurants situated in a lovely position with water views right on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
You can be dropped off after the cruise at the Commonwealth Place Jetty. Walk back to the Hyatt.
For reservations call 02 6273 5066 or click here for more information.
Kingston Foreshore
Kingston Foreshore has multiple cafes and restaurants, drop off after the cruise at Trevillian Quay, Giles Street Jetty, Kingston Foreshore, at about 7.30 pm (boat is moored at Kingston Foreshore). Taxi back to the Hyatt.Or if you don't want to eat out, walk back from the Canberra Yacht Club after the cruise.
History of Canberra
A Quick History of Canberra
An intense rivalry: Following Australia’s Federation in 1901, so began years of passionate haggling between politicians – especially those from NSW and Victoria, who argued Sydney or Melbourne should be the rightful capital of Australia. However, a compromise was needed to establish a national capital location that met the requirements of the Australian Constitution (Section 125, to be exact).
According to those rules, the new seat of Government for the Commonwealth of Australia had to be not less than 160 km from Sydney – but not in Sydney, to appease those from other states of Australia. While this resolved the issue of favouritism between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, it posed a raft of challenges for those in charge of finding just the right site. Years were spent in search of a location – and consideration was given to sites including Dalgety, Bathurst, Orange, Albury and Bombala. And after plenty of debate, studies and inspections, Canberra was finally chosen as the ideal option in 1909, and legislated in 1911.
Known as Ngunnawal country to the Indigenous people of the region, Canberra was officially named as the capital of Australia on 12 March 1913, which is celebrated each year with Canberra Day.
House rules: Once the decision was made to govern the country from Canberra, an international design competition was launched to find the right look and feel for the national capital. The judging panel sifted through 137 entries and decided on a Chicago couple’s ideas. Walter Burley Griffin and his wife, Marion Mahony Griffin, set the vision for the city of today: with Lake Burley Griffin at the heart and a visible Parliamentary Triangle able to be seen from numerous vantage points.
Canberra’s seaport? You may be surprised to learn that Canberra, an inland city, has a seaport at Jervis Bay. That’s about 230 km away from Canberra! The Jervis Bay land area – a stunning piece of coastline – was added to the Australian Capital Territory via legislation in 1915 to ensure the Commonwealth had a seaport.
Home to a nation’s story: As the national capital, Canberra is the custodian of significant cultural stories about Australia. With many monuments and iconic buildings established in the 1940s and 1960s, these national attractions bring the country’s narrative to life.
The Griffins
The Griffins, Walter Burley and Marion Mahony, had both spent considerable time working for Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago. Marion worked for him for 14 years and Walter for five.Walter Burley Griffin was influenced by the City Beautiful and Garden City movements which influenced town planning during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was also influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, particularly in the development of the Prairie style, which included not just the design of a house, but the interiors as well, including stained glass, fabrics, carpet and other accessories.
The influence of the City Beautiful and Garden City movements is clear in Griffin’s plans for Canberra – green bands surrounding areas of settlement, wide boulevards lined with large buildings, formal parks and water features.
A Planned City
Canberra is unique among Australia's capital cities in that it is the only one to have been built from the ground up to an overall master plan. … Griffin's design saw the heart of the city laid out around a large triangle on two major perpendicular axes [dotted line on map below], a water axis that today stretches along Lake Burley Griffin, and a ceremonial land axis stretching from Parliament House on Capital Hill north-eastward to the Australian War Memorial at the foot of Mt Ainslie. The area known as the Parliamentary Triangle is formed by three of Burley Griffin's axes [solid line on map below], stretching from Capital Hill along Commonwealth Avenue to the Civic Centre around City Hill, along Constitution Avenue to the Defence precinct on Russell Hill, and along Kings Avenue back to Capital Hill. Many significant public buildings such as the National Library and the High Court are located within this triangle.Platinum Sponsor
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