Weston Park

Weston Park is 40 hectares of lakeside parkland on the Yarralumla peninsula, jutting into Lake Burley Griffin in the middle of Canberra. The peninsula loop runs about 4.2 km on easy ground. What sets it apart from every other lakeside walk in the city is Kurrajong Point Beach, a designated off-lead dog swimming area inside the park, which turns a pleasant walk into a swim with a walk attached.

The walk. A flat 4.2 km circuit of the peninsula, half an hour to an hour depending on how many times your dog stops. Mature trees give real shade, there are sealed and informal paths, and the SIEV X National Memorial and views across the Molonglo River sit along the way. The park has a fixed orienteering course, a disc golf layout and a miniature railway, so expect company.

The rules. Parks ACT manages the park. Dogs are welcome on lead through the park and are prohibited within ten metres of a public play space, fireplace or barbecue in use. Across the ACT, footpaths and cycle paths are on lead areas including ten metres either side, and all lakes are on lead unless signposted otherwise. Kurrajong Point Beach is the signposted exception: it is one of the ACT's designated dog off-lead swimming areas. Do not extend that permission to the rest of the shoreline, because the park contains a mix of on lead, off lead and dog prohibited areas, and the human swimming beach is one of the prohibited ones. There is also a fenced dog park in the park itself, off Bank Street.

Water. Drinking water, toilets, electric barbecues, picnic tables and shelters are all on site, and there is a cafe in the park. For a lakeside walk this is unusually well served.

Hazards. Blue-green algae and bacteria in the lake are the seasonal ones, usually worst in warm weather, and they are the reason to check the signposts every visit rather than once. Otherwise this is gentle ground. The cycle track carries fast traffic and the ten metre rule either side of it applies.

Getting there. Off Weston Park Road in Yarralumla, with free parking throughout the park. It is a short drive from the city and a comfortable ride around the lake for cyclists.

Nearby with the dogs. Yarralumla Dog Park is the fenced enclosure on site. Lake Burley Griffin Loop extends the walk as far as you want to take it. Beess and Co and Farmers Daughter at the Yarralumla shops both do outdoor seating afterwards.

When to go. Weekday mornings, or a warm afternoon if the swim is the point and the water quality report is clear. Weekends here are family territory. Good for joyful swimmers, and equally good for seniors who want flat ground and a bench every hundred metres.

Sources

• Weston Park - Parks ACT · www.parks.act.gov.au
• Dogs in public places - ACT City Services · www.cityservices.act.gov.au
• Weston Park Peninsula Loop - AllTrails · www.alltrails.com

Compiled from public sources and verified listings. Always confirm current rules with the venue or council before you travel.