The Captain Cook Memorial in Canberra commemorates the various journeys of Lieutenant James Cook, RN, who in 1770 commanded the Royal Navy's HM Barque "Endeavour" on a journey to the Pacific Ocean to observe the transit of Venus across the face of the sun. (This would assist in techniques of celestial navigation) He then went on to 'discover' and very effectively map the coasts of New Zealand and then the east coast of Australia.

His first landing in Australia was at Botany Bay near Sydney (Port Jackson) and it was there that he claimed the land for the British monarch. Cook was killed by Pacific Island natives while on a later journey. A globe on the shores of Lake Walter Burley Griffin charts Cook's historic voyage. Beyond it, in the middle of the lake, is a water jet. Together they form the memorial that was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in 1970, the 200th anniversary of Cook's visit to the east coast of Australia.

Captain Cook Memorial Globe	The fountain and two other Canberra landmarks - the Carillon and Black Mountain Tower

Located directly in front of the national capital Exhibition at Regatta Point, the Jet sends water to a maximum height of 147 metres, pumping it from, and returning it to, the lake. The exit velocity of water leaving the nozzle is 260 kilometres an hour. About six tonnes of water is in the air at any one moment when the main nozzle is in use, discharging 500 litres per second.

Water is drawn from the lake through a 50 metre-long intake tunnel, to the base of the underground pump house. The Jet has two pumps, each capable of pumping 250 litres per second. It can be controlled either manually or automatically. Automatic control equipment permits the Jet to operate according to a program that governs the time and duty cycle of each pump. Physical limitations on the operation of the Jet consist of wind speed, wind direction and also the lake water level. The Jet is automatically turned off during high winds.

The design of the main nozzle is the same as the Jet D’Eau in Geneva, Switzerland. The city of Geneva allowed the same design to be used after high-level diplomatic negotiations.
A much photographed and popular landmark, the Captain Cook Memorial Jet operates daily from 11am–4pm. It is often turned on or coloured for special occasions and the best location from which to take photographs is the national capital Exhibition at Regatta Point.

The Captain Cook Memorial Globe is about three metres in diameter and shows the three routes of Cook’s voyages, which are described on the surrounding handrail. Meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude form this open-cage globe, with landmasses depicted in beaten bas-relief copper.

The architectural firm of Bunning Madden, which designed the National Library, located on the other side of Lake Burley Griffin, also designed the Captain Cook Water Jet and Globe.