Lake Tuggeranong District Park

For recreation and conservation

• Location
• Facilities
• History
• From rural use to lakeside parkland
• Designed for recreation and conservation
• The place to enjoy the waters of the lake
• Reference

Location

Accessible via Florence Taylor St, Mortimer Lewis Dr, De Little St and Anketell St.

• A map showing Tuggeranong with the location of Lake Tuggeranong District Park marked.
• A map of Lake Tuggeranong District Park.

Facilities

Sandy swimming beach, skatepark, play equipment, picnic shelters, barbecues and tables and public toilets.

History

Lake Tuggeranong District Park comprises the majority of the foreshores of Lake Tuggeranong in the suburb of Greenway. It provides opportunities for informal recreation in a lakeside setting, including swimming, boat launching, picnicking and children's play. It contrasts with the formally designed Tuggeranong Town Park on the shore at the northern corner of the Town Centre.

From rural use to lakeside parkland

The park has been established on land used for grazing since European settlement last century. It had been largely treeless, perhaps naturally. With the decision in the 1980s to create Lake Tuggeranong at the mouth of the Tuggeranong and Village Creeks, rural use ceased. The lake, which filled in 1988, is intended both as a central scenic and recreational focus of Tuggeranong and also as an urban stormwater quality control facility. It ensures that the quality of urban run-off coming from its catchment is of the highest quality possible when it enters the Murrumbidgee River near Red Rocks Gorge.

"Tuggeranong" is the Aboriginal word for "cold plain". It was the name last given to the parish in the area. Within the boundaries of the park the remnants of the Tuggeranong Boundary Marker can be found. This marked the 19th century boundary line between two major rural properties. To the north was the Campbell family's land and to the south the Cunninghams'. The boundary functioned as a "fence" combining dry stone walling and a ditch and bank system. Remnants are in evidence on both sides of the lake and the line is now marked by a poplar tree planting. The marker is National Trust classified and has been entered into the National Estate and ACT Heritage registers.

All the roads adjacent to the lake are named after significant Australian architects.

Designed for recreation and conservation

The park, for most of its length, abuts residential development. The cyclepath encircling the lake connects all parts of the park together. Planning for the park has emphasised provision of informal recreation in an indigenous landscape, comprising mostly river oaks, eucalypts and wattles.

The Anketell Street section is the most developed. Facilities include a sandy swimming beach, skatepark, play equipment, picnic shelters, barbecues and tables.

The Mortimer Lewis Drive/De Little section has parking at various points, a large playground, beaches and a swimming enclosure and a boat ramp near a Sea Scouts boatshed (power boating is prohibited).

The Florence Taylor Street section has ample parking provisions at various points and a playground.

The swimming beaches are monitored for blue green algae and bacteria. Whenever conditions are unsuitable for swimming public warnings are given.

The place to enjoy the waters of the lake

The park is a popular place for the residents of Tuggeranong throughout the year for informal recreation. During the warmer months it is a venue for water based recreation. Boats can be launched off Mortimer Lewis Drive. Swimming is possible at the established swimming area in the Anketell Street section.

There are magnificent views across the lake. The indigenous landscape has yet to reach maturity and create habitat for fauna, however the water bird population is increasing.

Reference

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