Structure of this Report
This Heritage Assessment is Phase 1 of a 2 part study process which has been designed to assess the
heritage values of the Lake Burley Griffin Study Area and, should Commonwealth and National Heritage
values be found to be present, prepare a Management Plan for the place (Phase 2) as required under
the EPBC Act. The sections of this Heritage Assessment aim to build up a detailed picture of the natural
and cultural landscape of the study area, revealing its different layers of heritage values. The structure
of the assessment is as follows:
Section 1.0—Introduction
Section 2.0—Setting the Scene
Introduces the features and elements of the Lake Burley Griffin Study Area, as well as the foreshore
areas and surrounding landscape, which although outside the formal boundary of the study area,
constitute the landscape context of the lake and are vital to an understanding of the place.
Section 3.0—The Environmental Context
Explains the environmental context of the Lake Burley Griffin Study Area, particularly focusing on the
‘pre-lake’ environment. The evolution of the landscape through geological time is described, as is the
vegetation which covered the pre-settlement landscape. This description of the environmental setting of
Lake Burley Griffin and its foreshores will allow comparisons (in later sections) between its present form
and its earlier natural state, and provide a clearer picture of how the current landscape, environment and
natural values evolved.
Section 4.0—The Indigenous Cultural Landscape
Reviews the evidence for the Aboriginal occupation of the Lake Burley Griffin Study Area in its broader
regional context. It explores the meanings and values attributed to the landscape by Indigenous
communities both in the past and contemporaneously. It also discusses previous archaeological
research and the results of field surveys carried out for this heritage assessment.
Section 5.0—The Historical Context
Charts the historical evolution of the lake within the social and political context of the development of the
national capital, Canberra.
Section 6.0—The Designed Landscape
Focuses on Lake Burley Griffin as a key component of the designed landscape conceived by Walter
Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, and the way in which the landscape has evolved to reflect
changes in society, changes in design philosophy and changes in the notion of the Australian nation and
Australian national identity.
Section 7.0—Community Attachment and Values
Reports on the nature and scope of the values held by communities for the Lake Burley Griffin Study
Area.
Lake Burley Griffin—Heritage Assessment—Final Report, October 2009
v
Section 8.0—Layers of Value
Draws together the threads of the research presented thus far, and also introduces additional data to
flesh out a detailed picture of the Lake Burley Griffin Study Area as a complex cultural landscape with
many layers of value. The values of the lake as an ecosystem are first presented, followed by a
synthesis of the layers of history present in the study area, with a particular focus on the lake as an
engineering achievement, as well as a visual analysis of the study area.
Section 9.0—Assessment of Heritage Values
Presents the results of the research included in the previous sections and analyses the findings in terms
of the EPBC Act criteria. It also considers whether the threshold for Commonwealth or National Heritage
value is met for each criteria, provides a summary statement of values and a table of values and
attributes.
vi
Lake Burley Griffin—Heritage Assessment—Final Report, October 2009