It may not boast white sands or exotic marine life but this often overshadowed Canberra icon will shine in a new international tourism campaign enticing visitors to explore Australia's coasts and waterways.
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Lake Burley Griffin is one of more than a dozen locations from every state and territory featured in Tourism Australia's new There's Nothing Like Australia campaign launched in New York on Tuesday.
Lazily pedalling around the lake, snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef, kayaking through Katherine Gorge and splashing around in Sydney Harbour are some of the activities being pitched to international tourists by Tourism Australia's global ambassador Chris Hemsworth.
Lake Burley Griffin's grassy shore snagged a five-second slot in the three minute film - longer than most - but without any of the city's national institutions for reference or Black Mountain in the skyline, you have to be on the ball to recognise it.
An early morning hot air balloon flight over the lake also scored a plug in a corresponding print advertisement.
The $40 million multi-platform campaign launched one day after the first direct international flights to the capital from Singapore and Wellington, New Zealand went on sale. Flights are expected to commence on September 21.
ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Tourism and Events Andrew Barr said he was keen to promote the Canberra region to "key international markets", including Malaysia and New Zealand.
"Lake Burley Griffin lies in the heart of our city and has plenty to offer tourists. It is surrounded by numerous world class attractions and national institutions and has a selection of dining options on its shoreline," Mr Barr said.
"The new campaign features beautiful imagery of some of the common sights around our lake: early morning hot-air ballooning, kayaking at dawn and cycling and picnicking around the lake's edge."
Canberra Business Chamber chief executive Robyn Hendry said the timing of the campaign was opportune.
"We can't promote Canberra as part of the Australian offering on our own, we absolutely need their support and it's incredibly important at this time that this occurs, to ensure these [Singapore Airlines international] flights are sustainable and can induce new markets to come to Canberra," she said.
"We have the most incredible natural landscapes, we're neighbouring some incredible areas in NSW and closer to home our bike tracks, our food and beverage offerings and our wildlife are great attractors so we're thrilled Tourism Australia recognised that but we're more thrilled that the timing is now to make these flights sustainable and to increase our flight services."
The six-month plug will be rolled out first across the US, then in the UK, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Malaysia and New Zealand.
Tourism Australia's strategy of luring high-yielding international visitors to the country through immersive advertising campaigns pushed spending by international travellers to a record $34.8 billion last year.
Two out of three international visitors enjoy Australia's aquatic or coastal environments in some way, tourism minister Senator Richard Colbeck said.
"This new aquatic and coastal campaign will help attract visitors and drive spending right across the country," he said.
"Presently 70 per cent of our international visitors enjoy an aquatic and coastal experience during their trip so we are building on one of our great strengths and reflecting the Government's move to more targeted international tourism marketing."
