The best road cycling routes in Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary - Goorooyarroo Extension

Scrivener Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Molonglo River, completed in 1963, and is responsible for creating Lake Burley Griffin as a recreational and ornamental body of water. Named after surveyor Charles Scrivener, the dam is about 33 metres high and 319 metres long, with hydraulically operated fish‑belly flap gates that precisely control the lake levels and provide flood management capability. The dam also carries a roadway and the walking/cycling path, and helps form the backdrop to one of Canberra’s key engineering landmarks.

The Commonwealth Bridge is the major road crossing over Lake Burley Griffin, carrying six lanes of traffic plus a shared foot and cycle path between Canberra’s city centre and the Parliamentary Zone. It is an integral element of the lake’s heritage landscape, with beautiful views across the Molonglo River. The river runs roughly 115 kilometres from the Great Dividing Range through New South Wales into the Australian Capital Territory, where the Scrivener Dam impounds its waters to form Lake Burley Griffin. Historically rich in native fish and culturally important to local Aboriginal peoples, the river continues beyond Canberra to join the Murrumbidgee River as part of the larger Murray–Darling basin.

Yarralumla Bay District Park sits on the southern foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin, between Orana Bay and Blue Gum Point, with a sandy beach and designated areas for swimming, paddling, boating, and other water sports. The park includes shaded picnic areas right along the lake’s cycleway/walkway and has launching ramps, piers, and clubhouses for sailing and rowing activities. It is a popular spot for year-round lakeside walking and water‑based recreation.

Lennox Gardens is a well-manicured lakeside park on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra’s Parliamentary Zone. The gardens include several international friendship spaces, notably the Beijing Garden and the nearby Canberra Peace Park, which celebrate Canberra’s sister-city relationships. With open lawns, ornamental plantings, and walking paths along the lake, it is a popular place for picnicking and enjoying the beautiful views across the water.

Canberra Peace Park is a beautiful memorial garden along Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra’s Parliamentary Triangle, near the National Library of Australia. The park was created during the United Nations International Year of Peace in 1986 and formally dedicated in 1990 as a place for reflection and commitment to peace. Its central monument features the word “Peace” inscribed in the official languages of the United Nations and the Ngunnawal language, set within formal gardens overlooking the lake formed by the Molonglo River.

In 1964, the Molonglo River was dammed, creating this wetland. Today, these 260 hectares of land, forest, and waterways are protected. Within this park are the Kells Swamp Loop, Woodland Walk, and Billabong Walk. Keep your eyes peeled for platypuses, rakali, and micro-bats, and from the bird blind, you may see a few of the 200 bird species that visit this wetland every year.

The National Arboretum in Canberra has beautiful cycling tracks that run across the whole place. It’s perfect for mountain or gravel bikes. The natural scenery combined with the zen of flowing tracks and change in elevation means you could simply ride forever.

A lovely spot to stop for a break or picnic and enjoy the beauty of Lake Burley Griffin.