Captain James Cook Memorial, Navigation memorial in Canberra, Australia

The Captain James Cook Memorial has two parts on Lake Burley Griffin: a water jet in the central basin and a globe sculpture at Regatta Point. The globe, about three metres across, is a dark metal lattice of curved ribs and crossbars; inside, flat copper reliefs show the landmasses and the routes of Cook's three voyages. Water sprays over the lower grid from within.

The memorial was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1970 to mark 200 years since Cook documented Australia's eastern coastline. Its construction honored his groundbreaking cartographic contribution to Pacific exploration.

The globe sculpture, about three metres across, was designed by the architectural firm Bunning and Madden. Copper bas-reliefs form the landmasses, while lines of latitude and longitude build an open cage around them, tracing the routes of all three of Cook's circumnavigations.

The jet runs daily from 11 am to 2 pm; it shuts off automatically in high wind because spray drifts onto the nearby Commonwealth Avenue Bridge, and it is also stopped when drought lowers the lake level. The globe sculpture stands at Regatta Point on the lake's north shore, in Commonwealth Park.

The water jet design originated from diplomatic talks and draws inspiration from Geneva's famous Jet d'Eau fountain. This international collaboration made it an unexpected example of cultural exchange within an Australian memorial.