Lake Ginninderra, Canberra, Australia

When in Canberra I go to Belconnen because my local office is located there. It's not necessary for me to go there but Lake Ginninderra District Park attracts me as it's a large recreation area this shore of the lake.

As I said I don't consider it necessary to go to my office especially my project is in the field but the lake pulls me as a tourist.

Lake Ginninderra is located on the banks of a dam in the Belconnen area of ​​Canberra city centre. It has a sandy beach, children's playground, picnic tables, barbecues, paddling rings and as you would expect, public toilets, parking and you name it.

I don't use the parking of the lake because I keep my car in the office parking or leave it in the parking of McDowel which is close and then walk to the lake.

A little in the history of this lake, this lake was originally designed as a recreation and landscape facility for people living in Belconnen but the natural scenery and recreation area developed along its shore has made it a popular picnic spot.

I would love to go there during day time but it is more happening in the evenings and as I mentioned, the lake has swimming, boats, launching ramps, picnic tables but for me the main attraction is the 7.5km long walking trail.

So whenever I go there, I pack my walking shoes and complete the walk in about 1.5 hours.

People enjoy picnics among the trees around this walkway and as I walk around, I keep capturing different species of water birds and I think I see many of them every day.

And it is not just this walkway that runs along the lake, there are many other walkways and cycle tracks as well.

I am now a vegetarian, but if you are interested in fishing, there are many jetties for you to fish comfortably.

You're allowed to bring your pets here but if you bring your pet along, you can let your pet loose in the exercise area of ​​Lake Ginninderra, but keep in mind that dogs are prohibited from going near any public playgrounds, fireplaces or barbecues and must be kept on a leash in some areas of the park. You can see these instructions on the board.

Lake Ginninderra has the John Knight Memorial Park, Belconnen Skate Park and if you want to visit the Belconnen Art Centre in Ginninderra District Park, you are welcome to.

In fact, Canberra has plenty of opportunities to hike, trail-run or take a relaxing stroll in its vast natural environment, but I like this lake because it is accessible 24 hours a day and has no set closing time and I love that.

I have seen hundreds of bird species in Canberra, whose names I don’t know because many of them are migratory birds and some are rare or endangered. So I am always prepared and have my camera ready to watch these birds and enjoy their chirping.

The only thing I don’t like is that I can feed the birds in my country India, but it is illegal to do so here. They say that our feeding is harmful to the health of the birds and may pose a threat to the birds coming here in the future. It is beyond my understanding, but rules are rules.

I guess they have specially provided a couple of small ponds for intercepting and limiting litter discharged from the lake which shows how alert they are to keep the lake clean and pollution free.

As I said, I tried but couldn’t identify these waterfowl species but I have seen a different range of seasonal migrants every time I have been to the wetlands here. The birds here are truly amazing and rare.

I have asked the locals many times and I know some names like Robin, Thornbill and Honeyeater, Rose Robin, Bassian Thrush and Pilotbird, but I am not sure.

I walk around the lakes every day and recognize a few bird species and now that Australia has so many hotpots for bird watching during the autumn months, I will increase my efforts.

Ginninderra has a long list of restaurants around the lake, I can name a few here like, Velocity Conveyancing, Midnight Bar, Amara Indian, and Thai restaurant.

This is Google location

You can reach here by Canberra Transport Service on regular ticket charges on weekdays and on subsidized rates on weekends. Use of Parks is free.

John Knight Park near the lake has plenty of fitness equipment including sit-up benches, chin-up bars, and balance beams, all free for training and you can see a number of people doing that regularly but my favorite is walking and jogging so I seldom go to that park.

Lake Ginninderra, Aikman Drive, Belconnen, District of Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory, 2617, Australia

Images all mine