Yarralumla Bay

A centre for sailing, rowing and swimming on Lake Burley Griffin

• Location
• Facilities
• History
• Originally conceived as an arboretum
• Designed for recreation
• For those who enjoy rowing, sailing and swimming
• Reference

Location

Access via Alexandrina Drive, Yarralumla.

• A map showing Inner South Canberra with the location of Yarralumla Bay marked.
• A map of Yarralumla Bay.

Facilities

Picnic tables, public toilets, parking.

History

Yarralumla Bay foreshore park comprises the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin between Orana Bay and Blue Gum Point. Prior to its construction in the 1960s it was treeless grazing land. It provides opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy the waters of the lake whether involved in boating, swimming, paddling or just strolling on the water's edge.

Originally conceived as an arboretum

This foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin has an interesting planning background. In his 1918 plan for Canberra Walter Burley Griffin envisaged it as part of a very large "continental arboretum". the intended collection of trees was to be geographically arranged into seven continents which were located on the present day Black Mountain Peninsula, Weston Park, Glenloch Interchange, and Yarralumla Bay. Griffin allocated the seven continental zones to these areas in a way which reflected symbolically their relative positions and shapes on a map of the world centred on Australia. The Yarralumla Bay area was designated for planting of "South Sea Island" tree species, however this part of Griffin's scheme did not proceed.

The name "Yarralumla Bay" area was officially adopted in 1963 for a well defined bay in the lake under construction. Through common usage that name has been attached to the shore between Orana Bay and Blue Gum Point. The name "Yarralumla" is an Aboriginal word meaning "echo". It has been associated with the locality since the early setlers; it first appeared on Surveyor Dixon's map of 1829.

Yarralumla Bay is included in the National Trust of Australia (ACT) listing of the foreshores of Lake Burley Griffin.

Designed for recreation

The National Capital Development Commission proceeded with the development of the then treeless foreshores of Yarralumla Bay in the early 1960s, as part of the construction of Lake Burley Griffin. The planting schemes envisaged the use of large numbers of deciduous oaks to provide pleasant shaded areas for lakeside recreation with pines on the upper slopes. Poplars, willows and river oaks were planted closer to the lake edge. The area is accessed off Alexandrina Drive at a number of points. It was designed principally for water-based recreation with sections set aside for swimming and boat launching. In the western part of the area sites were allocated for the construction of sheds and clubhouses for rowing and sailing clubs, launching ramps and piers, and a wharf. A water police facility was constructed at the point of Orana Bay, while a former farm house was converted to a water police residence.

The lake filled in April 1964 and the bay was popular with the public almost immediately. The cyclepath encircling the lake passes through the area. Numerous picnic tables may be found there. The swimming area comprises a sandy beach, and enclosures for swimming and paddling. The swimming beaches are monitored for blue green algae and bacteria. Whenever conditions are unsuitable for swimming the National Capital Authority gives public warnings.

For those who enjoy rowing, sailing and swimming

Yarralumla Bay is popular at weekends and on public holidays in the warmer months of the year. Large and small groups congregate on the foreshores and in the vicinity of the rowing and sailing facilites.. The bay is a popular area for cycling and walking and there are magnificent views across the lake to Black Mountain.

Reference

Gray, J (1997) The Historical and Cultural Background of Selected Urban Parks in Canberra - Volume 2.