Scrivener Dam - Spillway Aerial

On 20 September 1963 the valves were closed on the newly completed Scrivener Dam, allowing the waters of the Molonglo River to form Lake Burley Griffin—one of Canberra’s main recreational and tourist attractions.

The dam is named after Charles Robert Scrivener who recommended the site for the national capital in 1909. Work on the dam began in September 1960 and moved faster than expected, due to a drought in the region. When the dam was finished, it took seven months before the lake was filled.

The dam is 33 metres high and 319 metres long with a five bay spillway controlled by 30.5 metre wide, hydraulically operated gates with a total discharge capacity of 8500 cubic metres a second.

Scrivener Dam car park is a convenient and picturesque starting point for various cycle and walking paths, and the National Zoo and Aquarium is only a few minutes walk away.