Sunken Stories Lake Cruises

To help celebrate the Centenary in 2013, during the Canberra and Region Heritage Festival we held three special Sunken Stories of Old Acton lake cruises, in partnership with ACT Heritage, Lake Burley Griffin Cruises, Biginelli Espresso, and local historian Allen Mawer. The April tours proved very popular (with a waiting list that grew to 150 people), such that we held another five in May. Our cruises took guests past (and over) sites now submerged under Lake Burley Griffin, including the old Acton cottages, racecourse, sports fields, nursery, and golf clubs, and included a stop for morning-tea on Springbank Island.

With these tours we endeavoured to share stories and images of Acton prior to the filling of Lake Burley Griffin in a way that would enable views and experiences otherwise not available when walking. We also hoped to provide an interactive forum for members of the public to share their own recollections with others - and as was often the case, younger generations of their own families. For many guests, the trip itself sparked new memories, from both the landscape and hearing the stories of others on board. The community feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we met many new people to interview.