She asked passers-by if they knew who to call, she asked a man in a small dinghy to assist.

Nobody knew how to help or who to call that would, but the resounding thing that stuck with Ms Gordon was these people all said they'd seen this time and time again.

After moving to Kingston about four months ago, Ms Gordon was on a walk around the lake when she was alerted to the kangaroo's situation by rowers.

"It was so distressing," Ms Gordon said.

"It was right in the middle of the lake, so it seemed to just be most probably exhausted and too scared to move another step. It only had its nose out of the water, it didn't know which way to go."

"A couple of people I stopped said, 'oh no, not again'.

"At that moment I was thinking, well don't tell me this has happened a few times."

Ms Gordon is no animal activist, but she's concerned that nothing is being done to help kangaroos who get into the lake by accident, and are prevented from escaping by man-made infrastructure.

"I just think more should be done. Someone should take responsbility."

Ms Gordon left the lake that morning not knowing if the kangaroo would survive, or what she could do to help it.

At home, she contacted the National Capital Authority by email and they provided contact details for three separate agencies - the NCA, Access Canberra and the water police - that Ms Gordon should call in future if she sees a similar event.

But, Ms Gordon is adamant that if this is a problem, and from her experience talking to people at the lake it seemed to be, the contact details needed to be made more readily available.

"What's the point in just me knowing who to call? I know [kangaroos] are pests to a lot of people, but it's inhumane to watch them suffer."

Ms Gordon wants the contact details "strategically placed" on signs around the lake.

A spokeswoman for the NCA said the lake maintenance contractor did not find a carcass following the incident, and this was the first incident in 2018 they had been alerted to. She said when the NCA was called to events like this the most effective option was to shepherd the animal to a natural shoreline using a boat.

"Removing live animals from water is dangerous, but nonetheless, every effort will be taken to save the animal if timely information is provided," the spokeswoman said.

"Unfortunately we will continue to have some animals caught in the lake where they are unable to get out. The NCA is committed to reducing the consequences of such situations."

A spokesman for ACT Parks said Lake Burley Griffin was the most common lake for kangaroos to be caught in in Canberra because of the size.

"Kangaroos found in our urban lakes have usually got there after being scared or startled by a dog, typically one that is off-leash," ACT Parks and Conservation parks and partnership senior manager Stu Jeffress said.

"The kangaroo will then jump into the lake in an effort to escape the dog. It's a timely reminder to dog owners to please keep their dogs on-leash when walking around one of our lakes."

If stranded kangaroos are seen in Canberra's lakes, here are the numbers to call: