Lake Burley Griffin Cycle Loop Is Awesome

Canberra is a great place for bicycling. With separated bike paths covering most of the main routes and lanes on others, even inexperienced riders can enjoy it. The jewel in the recreational crown is the Burley Griffin loop which is split into 3 parts: the West, Central and East basins.

Start out with the low traffic and hidden East basin, a 9km route taking you through Kingston Foreshore, the Jerrabomberra wetlands and past Duntroon. There is still an on-road section to navigate here, but through the rest of the ride you can enjoy an open flat ride where the only intrusions are from livestock and occasional bike riders. The Jerrabomberra wetlands portion of this ride is great fun and its proximity to the coffee strips of Manuka and Kingston makes it an ideal start/finish to a greater ride. Make a detour to the Old Bus Depot Markets if you are here on a Sunday.

The central basin 4km loop takes you past the architectural delights of the Parliamentary triangle and the natural beauty of Commonwealth park. Be wary of pedestrians on this loop, tourists congregate on the Parliamentary triangle side and near Regatta point. If you travel near peak hour, you will also find the substantial portion of Canberrans who cycle to work and pass through here. But just cruise slow and enjoy the scenery. If you time it right the Carillon will play you some tunes while you pass. Take a side trip into one of the national institutions here, the National Gallery comes highly recommended.

The west basin is a wilder 16km loop that takes you out most of the way to Stromlo to really stretch your legs. There are even a few hills on the route that will have you gasping for air - both as you climb and as you enjoy the view at the top. The North side of this route starts by testing your legs up a short sharp climb past the National Museum before settling into the pretty space between Black Mountain and the lake itself. You'll pass the National Arboretum (well worth a side trip but beware of the hills) and add couple of other rises to disturb your rhythm. The National Zoo & Aquarium is another easy sidetrip before you cross the Scrivener Dam where you can appreciate the engineering that went into making the lake and thus this ride possible. You'll then pass through the glorious forests that give you shelter from the sun and make this ride something special. The ride tames down from here, passing the yacht club and other incursions into the wild of the west. The cobblestones outside the Nara peace park are as close as Canberra gets to Paris-Roubaix but the glimpse of pagodas makes for a nice finish to the ride.

Even if you don't like cycling, you'll like the Lake Burley Griffin loop.

How to follow the loops: Take one of these, or just follow the lake and keep going!