April 2017 at the AWM

Anzac Day commemorations will begin on the evening of Sunday 23 April with the projection onto the Memorial building of images of Australian servicemen and servicewomen drawn from the Memorial’s rich photographic collection. These projections will run again on 24 April until the start of the Dawn Service on Anzac Day.

In close cooperation with the Returned and Services League of Australia, the Memorial will host the following:

•Dawn Service
•National Ceremony
•Last Post Ceremony

The daily Last Post Ceremony will start at 4.55 pm in the Commemorative Area. All members of the public are welcome to attend this special ceremony concluding the Memorial’s Anzac Daycommemorations. It is anticipated that attendance will be greater than usual, so additional viewing screens will be placed outside the Memorial entrance for visitors to view the proceedings. The ceremony will also be broadcast live online.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commemorative Ceremony will be held after the Dawn Service at the Aboriginal memorial plaque, a short walk from the base of Mount Ainslie.

Transport Canberra, together with the Australian War Memorial, will be providing free transport to and from the Anzac Day ceremonies on Tuesday 25 April 2017.

Pre-registering provides passengers with peace of mind, knowing that their bus travel to either the Dawn Service or the National Ceremony is arranged. It also allows Transport Canberra to effectively manage customer demand for bus services, and ensures that bus resources are used efficiently.

To register, passengers will need to choose the location from which they wish to board the bus and how many passengers are in their party.

Parking at the Memorial is limited, and taking a bus or combining car and bus travel are convenient ways to ensure those wanting to pay their respects can attend the special commemorations.

For more information, including departure locations, times, and registration, please visit www.transport.act.gov.au or call our Customer Service Team on 13 17 10.

One hundred years after the bloody fighting of the First World War took thousands of lives in the battlefields of Flanders, a memorial garden has been created at the Australian War Memorial to ensure those Australians who never came home will be forever remembered.

The Flanders Memorial Garden contains soil taken from the battlefields and war cemeteries across Flanders, as well as soil collected by the Returned and Services League from significant military heritage sites in each Australian state and territory.

The garden sits within a formal grass court in the Memorial’s Western Precinct. It is constructed from Portland Stone – the same stone used on the arch and in the commemorative panels of the Menin Gate in Belgium.

Visit the Memorial during the school holidays and be entertained by the programs in place to keep the entire family entertained.  Enjoy Storytime, the Discovery Zone, the Hands-on-History programs, family tours, Drop-in craft sessions, and our special holiday workshops. Visit our website for all the details as some of the programs require bookings. You can also contact the team on (02) 6243 4473 or email: public.programs@awm.gov.au.

The German First World War tank “Mephisto” is the rarest tank in the world. To commemorate the centenary of the Great War the Australian War Memorialcollaborated with the Queensland Museumto display Mephisto outside Brisbane for the first time since it was transported from Europe after the end of the First World War.

The tank is currently on display until the end of May, when it will be returned to the Queensland Museum. Be sure to visit us in Canberra to see Mephisto for yourself before it leaves. Free talks on the tank’s history are held at 1.30 pm on Thursdays: 13 and 27 April and 11 and 25 May.

A new exhibition on Australia’s involvement in the Middle East is now on display within the existing Conflicts 1945 to today galleries. This display looks at Australia’s involvement from the Gulf War through to Iraq and Afghanistan, and includes some 220 items from the Memorial’s collection. Also on display are items on loan from current and former Australian Defence Force personnel, as well as from those who served as part of Operation Habitat, the Maritime Interception Force, and UN weapons inspections.

The Spirit of Anzac Centenary Experienceis the flagship event of Australia’s Centenary of Anzac program, featuring more than 200 artefacts from the Memorial’s collection.

After 19 months visiting 22 venues across Australia, the exhibition’s final stop will be in Sydney. This is your last opportunity to discover Australia’s history of service and sacrifice, from the First World War to the present day, in an immersive virtual-reality experience. Admission is free, but bookings are required to ensure your place. Book online today to experience the exhibition in Sydney from 15 to 27 April.

For more details and to book tickets, visit: www.spiritofanzac.gov.au.

Friends of the Memorial with a Poppy, Defence, or Family Membership are able to access reserved seating for the National Ceremony. For membership enquiries, or to upgrade your membership, please contact the Friends Coordinator.

Our special Friends-only activities offer an insider’s view of the Memorial’s exhibitions and galleries. These activities include behind-the-scenes tours and talks by the Memorial’s historians and curators.

See our website for more information on how to join our Friends of the Memorial program.

Wartime is the magazine of the Australian War Memorial and a must-have for anyone with an interest in history.

Published quarterly, the 73-page publication is devoted to the Australian experience of war, our military history, and the effects of war on society. All features are written by eminent historians and deal fully and frankly with both the distressing and the lighter sides of war.

Each issue delivers many stories of courage and survival of both service personnel and civilians and is illustrated throughout with incredible images from the Memorial archives.

Purchase the latest edition here now.

Visit the Memorial on the eve of Anzac Day and learn more about the challenges, successes, and comradeship experienced by the men and women who served in Afghanistan, as well as the joy, heartbreak, and dedication of those who waited at home.

This is a free event, and the screening will commence at 11 am the Memorial’s BAE Systems Theatre on 24 April.

More information is available on our website.