Lake Ginninderra Circuit ACT (7.2km)
Canberra urban parklands
Nearest Town
Canberra
Starting Location
Car park at trailhead – Diddams Close Park
Finish Location
Car park at trailhead – Diddams Close Park
Best Time to Travel
Year round, start early to avoid the crowds in good weather
Lake Ginninderra Circuit Review
Sometimes it’s not possible or we don’t have enough time to travel very far from home for one reason or another. At other times you just don’t feel like driving. On this day we decided to drive a very short distance and walk the 7.2 km Lake Ginninderra Circuit located adjacent to the northern Town Centre of Belconnen in Canberra. While there are many other urban walks in Canberra that you would be forgiven for forgetting you are in the middle of the city, this walk is without a doubt an urban walk taking in recreational parks, a lake and residential areas. Oh and lots of cafes and restaurants if you want to make a day of it.
There are any number of starting points on this walk and we chose the Diddams Close Park. Another great option would be to start at John Knight Park but on occasions that park is very heavily used so potentially the parking spaces can be heavily used. Have a look at google maps to find a starting point that suits you. Just keep in mind that the Western Foreshore Park, on the western side of the lake, is a bit light on for toilet facilities whereas the other parks have multiple options.
The walk itself is all on formed track consisting of concrete and bitumen pathways and in most cases is double width with just some small areas on the two dams walls narrowing to single lane. As you would expect, there are plenty of people doing this walking including families with children including prams, bikes, as well as dogs which are allowed on a leash. This walk can be done at any time of the day but if you are doing this walk at a meal time, expect the car parks to be busy. Out of habit I did this walk in a clockwise direction and that decision was based on having the sun at our backs or overhead for most of the walk however the choice is yours.
One of our reasons for starting the walk at the Diddams Place Close car park, is that we crossed the dam where the most traffic interaction was taking place early in the walk. After crossing the dam wall, hug the lake as you go following the very obvious signage. If you feel inclined you can stop off at a couple of galleries or cafes at the town centre along the way. Wildlife is very much of the urban type with good birdlife. On the day of our walk we came across swans with cygnets, ducks with ducklings, swamp fowl, cockatoos just to name a few.
While this can’t be described as a ‘bush walk’ being on solid path all the way, it has has just about everything else going for it and is well worth doing when you can’t go bush.
Head along Ginninderra Drive and turn into Diddams Close Park
Turnoff to car park
Toilets at Diddams Close Park
Car park at Diddams Close Park
Trail start
Capeweed. It is a weed but its still attractive
Trail signage is spaced at regular intervals on this walk
Trail signage close up
Across the dam wall
View to to Belconnen Town Centre across Lake Ginninderra
The Lake Ginninderra Circuit also includes a section of the Canberra Centenary Trail
Lots of cafes long the way to stop in for a visit
Views across the lake. Some areas are very suburban and other are more natural
John Knight Park. This is a good starting option with lots of barbecues and picnic facilities but can be one of the busier parks during the warmer weather
John Knight Park has large grassy areas for play
Dad and bubs
Belconnen Town Centre
Town centre view
Pubs and restaurants along the town centre side of the walk
Rose in flower along the way
In flower
Belconnen Arts Centre, just one of the galleries you can visit along the way
Outdoor art
Belconnen Town Centre
Trail separation as you go through the town centre with pedestrians on one trail and bikes on another
Water bubbler on the western side of the lake
Views across the lake from the western side
Hello Cocky
Toilet block on trail at the Western Foreshore Park. There aren’t enough toilets at this park so if you are desperate don’t wait until this point
Lake views again
Diddams Close Park info. This park is quite large and once you reach the start of the park you still have about 1 km tp go to the main car park
Grevillea in flower along the trail
Lake views
Through the woodlands
Back to the car park
Trail video
This short video contains photos and videos to show you the walk from start to finish
Getting There
Google map showing the trailhead from the Canberra GPO. The trip from the centre of Canberra is approximately 10 km and around 15 minutes duration
Satelite image of Lake Ginninderra Circuit
Car park at the trailhead at Diddams Close Park
Things to Know
- Phone: There is good phone signal on this trail (all networks)
- Water: There are regular water bubblers along the trail as well as cafe in the centre of the trail
- Toilets: There a toilets spread around the lake but they are a bit light number on the western side
- Trail: This walk is mainly on sealed trail
- Dogs: Dogs allowed on leash
- Camping: Not allowed
- Other:
- This trail is very popular urban trail so if you want a bit of solitude start early
- If you plan on combining this walk with a barbecue/picnic start at your preferred trailhead
- Stop in for some food or drink at one of the restaurants/cafes on the eastern and southern edge of the lake
Disclaimer
This walk was undertaken by the team from Australian Hiker