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Australian War Memorial

History museums ·Canberra ·Open now
4.825.0K
#1History museums in AustraliaMost reviewed in CanberraTravelers' Choice Best of the Best 2025
  • Visit: 4–7 hours
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About

The Australian War Memorial is Australia’s national war memorial, museum and archive, commemorating Australians who died in war, including on peacekeeping duties. It stands on Treloar Crescent in Campbell, Canberra, at the northern end of ANZAC Parade.

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Australian War Memorial

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What's on here

ASIS International ACT Chapter Annual Gala Dinner ASIS International ACT Chapter Annual Gala Dinner Thursday, 18:00 Author talk: Katrina Kittel Author talk: Katrina Kittel Wednesday, 12:30

Why go

  • The Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier beneath the Hall of Memory’s stained-glass windows and mosaics made from more than six million Italian glass tiles.
  • The world’s largest public collection of Victoria Crosses: 76 of the 101 awarded to Australian soldiers, displayed in the Hall of Valour.
  • Napier Waller’s murals, the largest installed in Australia.
  • The Roll of Honour: bronze plaques behind the courtyard’s arched cloisters naming more than 102,000 Australians, without ranks or distinctions.
  • Lion statues from the original Menin Gate, donated by the mayor of Ypres in 1936, flanking the courtyard entrance.

Opening hours

Today10:00 – 16:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 16:00
Tuesday10:00 – 16:00
Wednesday10:00 – 16:00
Thursday10:00 – 16:00
Friday10:00 – 16:00
Saturday10:00 – 16:00
Sunday10:00 – 16:00

Don't miss

  • Gaza mosaic fragmentA Byzantine church mosaic fragment found by Australian soldiers at the Second Battle of Gaza.Hall of Valour
  • Sinai and Palestine exhibitionThe only exhibition here retaining many original architectural and display features.Memorial Building
  • Naval gunsMilitary monuments include a gun turret from HMAS Brisbane and a gun from the cruiser Australia.Sculpture garden
  • Stone of RemembranceA focal point for major and national ceremonies, moved to the Parade Ground in 1962.Parade Ground

Know before you go

  • Open daily, 10:00–16:00.
  • A major expansion is underway, and many galleries are closed.
  • Australia’s Federation Guard performs a precision drill at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier during selected Last Post Ceremonies.

What's inside

  • The museum covers Australian military history from Federation to the present through equipment, memorabilia and battle dioramas.
  • Four connected galleries in the building’s oldest sections cover the First and Second World Wars; the museum also includes Aircraft Hall.
  • The Memorial Building also contains a research centre and museum shop.
  • The grounds host national services for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Tips for your visit

  • National services are held on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.
  • ANZAC Parade runs from Lake Burley Griffin’s northern shore towards the memorial, with memorials to military campaigns and service branches along both sides.
  • The memorial stands on the ceremonial axis between Parliament House and Mount Ainslie. Its sculpture garden occupies the lawn to the west.

Interesting facts6

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  1. Only five percent of the collection is displayed at a time; the rest is stored at the Treloar Resource Centre in Mitchell.

    Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 2)
  2. 26 carved

    The courtyard’s 26 carved stone figures depict Australian animals and Indigenous people.

    Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 2)

  3. Janet Laurence’s four 11-metre pillars behind the tomb represent air, earth, fire and water.

    Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 2)

  4. The unknown soldier’s Tasmanian blackwood coffin was laid with a bayonet and a sprig of golden wattle.

    Mémorial australien de la guerre - Wikipedia
  5. 2022

    By 2022, the grounds contained 25 memorials or sculptures and more than 150 plaques commemorating unit associations.

    Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 2)

  6. The Hall of Memory’s mosaics portray an airman, sailor, servicewoman and soldier.

    Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 2)

Shorts

History

Emil Sodersten and John Crust designed the memorial. Sodersten was chiefly responsible for its Art Deco styling; Crust influenced the plan and added the Hall of Memory.

  1. 1916Charles Bean proposed a memorial to Australian soldiers while observing battles in France.
  2. May 1917The Australian War Records Section began preserving First World War records.
  3. 1925The Australian War Memorial was formally established by legislation.
  4. 1927A design competition produced no winner; two entrants were asked to combine their designs.
  5. 1937Napier Waller was commissioned to create murals and mosaics for the building.
Show all
  1. 1939The commemorative scope expanded to include Second World War service members.
  2. 1941The Memorial Building opened to the public on Remembrance Day.
  3. 1952The memorial’s commemorative scope expanded to include Australian involvement in all wars.
  4. 1975The remit expanded to Australians who died in conflict, whether or not they served in Australia’s armed forces.
  5. 1993The Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier was installed in the Hall of Memory.

Sources: Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia · Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 2) · Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia (part 3) · Canberra/North Canberra - Wikivoyage (see) · Australian War Memorial - Wikipedia · Mémorial australien de la guerre - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
Treloar Crescent Campbell, Canberra Australian Capital Territory

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Questions and answers

How can schools arrange a visit to the Australian War Memorial?

The Memorial’s website has a dedicated school-visit booking page.

Does the Australian War Memorial publish military history?

It publishes the quarterly magazine Wartime and sponsored official histories of the First World War, Second World War, Korea and Vietnam.

Is an Australian Frontier Wars gallery planned at the Australian War Memorial?

A gallery on the Australian Frontier Wars is planned to open in 2028.

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