Two of Canberra's iconic features, the Captain Cook Memorial Water Jet, located in the Central Basin of Lake Burley Griffin and the accompanying skeleton globe sculpture, stands proudly at Regatta Point, today.
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An article and an artist's impression of these features were on the front page of The Canberra Times, 52 years ago. Both features were to be built to mark the bicentenary of Captain Cook's discovery of the east coast of Australia.
The Minister for the Interior, Mr Nixon, told The Canberra Times it was intended that the features would be completed in time for the visit to Canberra of the Queen and Prince Phillip the following April (1970).
The large "terrestrial globe" would show the route Captain Cook took on his voyage of discovery. Expenditure of up to $320,000 had been authorised for the project.
Mr Nixon said the feature would be a permanent national memorial.
The water jet would be about 400 to 600 feet from the lake shore and its height and the timing of its operation would be controlled according to wind velocity and direction.
