Forget blue green algae, Lake Burley Griffin was beset with something far more unpleasant 56 years ago today.
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Thousands of fish, including carp and rainbow trout, were lying dead on the shores of the lake, with the stench spreading several hundred feet from the lake shore.
The mass fish die-off was dubbed the East Basin mystery.
The smell was powerful enough to overcome the smell from the nearby Causeway rubbish dump, The Canberra Times reported on its front page.
In several places, small carp formed an almost solid carpet at the water's edge, while flocks of ducks appeared to be feasting on the fish.
Canberra Times reporters inspected every beach area of the lake, finding the dead fish were in an area marked by red flags, which indicated the weedicide Aqualin was being applied on behalf of the Department of the Interior.
The department had previously warned that some fish could be killed by Aqualin treatment, and advised that fish or yabbies floating near the surface of the lake were not to be eaten.
Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, arrived in Canberra, noting there was a great deal of godlessness and secularism in Australia.
"Christian civilisation has gone stale and has rather come to rest on its oars. It needs revivifying. Young people look upon Christianity as old-fashioned and we have to show them it is young, fresh and vital," Dr Ramsey said.