Central Basin South

Today we went for another bike ride going from the canoe club through Jerrabomberra Wetlands and Kingston to the Central Basin of Lake Burley Griffin (and of course back again).

For anyone not a native of Canberra, Lake Burley Griffin is crossed by two bridges, giving three basins:

• West Basin is from Scrivener Dam to Commonwealth Avenue Bridge; 
• Central covers that Bridge to Kings Avenue Bridge; and 
• East Basin goes from Kings Avenue to Fyshwick.)

In effect we did the South shore of East and Central basins.  Apart from the ride we socialised a tad as we rode past some friends apartment in Kingston and called in for a chat.  My ride also got interrupted briefly on seeing a Pied Cormorant swimming in the Lake: they are quite uncommon in the Canberra area.  

This clip from Google Earth shows the route in red: the photos which follow were taken (on my phone as I rode along) in the area marked with the bright yellow line offshore.

The main reason I wanted to go on the Southside - other than avoiding the Floriade-visiting hordes on the Northside - was the mass of flowering Mongolian Pear trees on the South. They will feature a fair bit in what follows.

There was a fair horde on the South side also.  This is a good thing as visitation demonstrates that the surrounds of the Lake have value (other than as a foundation for poorly built apartment blocks).  Quite a few of the horde had wheeled Small People with them,

A vista including the water jet and Black Mountain Tower.

 Manchurian Pear blossom.

 Ibid, plus cyclist, who is getting better each trip.

The jet had just enough wind to make it attractive.   The gale of yesterday would have sent the veil to at least Kingston!

 The avenue of flags in front of Parliament Houses.

 Many pooches, of various sizes, were out and about but all well behaved on leads.

 Pears framing the High Court.

We paused briefly at Kelly's Swamp on the way back but no unusual birds were seen.  It included a chat with other friends who ha visited the nearby Capital Brewery and reported well on the wares on offer.