Captain James Cook Memorial
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Captain_Cook_Memorial.jpg/220px-Captain_Cook_Memorial.jpg)
The Captain James Cook Memorial was built by the Commonwealth Government to commemorate the Bicentenary of Captain James Cook's first sighting of the east coast of Australia. The memorial includes a water jet located in the central basin and a skeleton globe sculpture at Regatta Point of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, showing the paths of Cook's expeditions. On 25 April 1970, Queen Elizabeth II officially inaugurated the memorial.[1]
The water jet is driven by two 4-stage centrifugal pumps capable of pumping up to 250 litres per second against a head of 183 metres. The water velocity at the water nozzle is 260 km/h. While running both pumps simultaneously the main jet throws approximately six tons of water into the air at any instant, reaching a maximum height of 152 metres. Alternatively the jet can be run on a single pump reaching a lower height of 114 metres. During special occasions it can be illuminated, often with coloured lights.[2] The design of the jet is based on the Jet d'Eau in Geneva, Switzerland as a result of high-level diplomatic negotiations.[3]
The water jet operates daily from 11 am to 2 pm.[3] In periods of high wind, the jet is automatically disabled as water landing on the nearby Commonwealth Avenue Bridge can be a hazard to traffic. The water jet must also be occasionally shut down when drought lowers the water level of the lake.[4]
![A vertical panorama of the Captain James Cook Memorial water jet on Lake Burley Griffin, in Canberra, ACT](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c8/A_vertical_panorama_of_the_Captain_James_Cook_Memorial_water_jet_on_Lake_Burley_Griffin%2C_in_Canberra%2C_ACT.jpg/300px-A_vertical_panorama_of_the_Captain_James_Cook_Memorial_water_jet_on_Lake_Burley_Griffin%2C_in_Canberra%2C_ACT.jpg)
Notes
- ^ Sparke, pp. 173–174.
- ^ National Capital Authority (6 March 2017). "Australia's Captain Cook Memorial Jet to reach new heights" (PDF). Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Attractions and memorials - Captain Cook Memorial". Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Fact Sheets > Captain Cook Memorial Jet". Nationalcapital.gov.au. 9 November 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
External links
Media related to Captain Cook Memorial, Canberra at Wikimedia Commons