Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia ' s national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia . The memorial includes an extensive national military museum . The Australian War Memorial was opened in 1941 , and is widely regarded as one of the most significant memorials of its type in the world . The Memorial is located in Australia ' s capital , Canberra . It is the northern terminus of the city ' s ceremonial land axis , which stretches from Parliament House on Capital Hill along a line passing through the summit of the cone - shaped Mount Ainslie to the northeast . No continuous roadway links the two points , but there is a clear line of sight from the front balcony of Parliament House to the War Memorial , and from the front steps of the War Memorial back to Parliament House . The Australian War Memorial consists of three parts : the Commemorative Area ( shrine ) including the Hall of Memory with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier , the Memorial ' s galleries ( museum ) and Research Centre ( records ) . The Memorial also has an outdoor Sculpture Garden . The Memorial is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm , except on Christmas Day . Many people include Anzac Parade as part of the Australian War Memorial because of the Parade ' s physical design leading up to the War Memorial , but it is maintained separately by the National Capital Authority ( NCA ) . History . Charles Bean , Australia ' s official World War I historian , first conceived a museum memorial to Australian soldiers while observing the 1916 battles in France . The Australian War Records Section was established in May 1917 to ensure preservation of records relating to the war being fought at the time . Records and relics were exhibited first in Melbourne and later Canberra . An architectural competition in 1927 did not produce a winning entry . However two entrants , Sydney architects Emil Sodersten and John Crust , were encouraged to represent a joint design . A limited budget and the effects of the Depression confined the scope of the project . The building was completed in 1941 , after the outbreak of World War II . It was officially opened following a Remembrance Day ceremony on 11 November 1941 by the then Governor - General Lord Gowrie , himself a former soldier whose honours included the Victoria Cross . Additions since the 1940s have allowed the remembrance of Australia ' s participation in other more recent conflicts . Directors of the AWM to the present : Remembrance Driveway . Remembrance Nature Park , located behind the War Memorial , is the Canberra terminus of the Remembrance Driveway , a system of arboreal parks , landmarks and road - side stops between Sydney and Canberra commemorating the 24 World War II and Vietnam War Victoria Cross recipients . Anzac Parade . ANZAC Parade is a short , broad boulevard named in honour of the soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps . It stretches from near the north shore of Lake Burley Griffin to the foot of the Memorial proper , along the line of sight from Parliament House . It separates the residential suburbs of Campbell and Reid , and is fairly heavily trafficked as a route between northeastern Canberra ( Dickson etc . ) and Kings Avenue Bridge . Along each side of the Parade is a row of monuments commemorating specific military campaigns or services , such as the Vietnam War and Australia ' s wartime nurses . The monuments are mostly sculptures in a variety of styles ranging from naturalistic to Modern . The foot of the Parade , near the lake , is paired by monumental sculptures in the form of gigantic basket handles , donated to the Memorial by New Zealand . The two monuments are dedicated to Australia and New Zealand , respectively , and are inspired by the Māori proverb " Mau tena kiwai o te kete , maku tenei " , " Each of us at a handle of the basket " , signifying the long tradition of cooperation and general closeness between the two Commonwealth countries . The symbolic association of the two nations is carried forward in the vegetation decorating ANZAC Parade . Long beds of New Zealand " Hebe " shrubs line the middle of the avenue , and behind the two rows of monuments are narrow bands of Australian eucalyptus trees . Behind the trees are narrow residential streets paralleling the Parade and separating it from the residential neighbourhoods . In the high summer , cicadas in the eucalyptus trees can be heard from several blocks away . The commemorative area . The Memorial proper is sited on a broad pie slice - shaped lawn at the northern end of Anzac Parade . The commemorative area is situated in the open centre of the memorial building , ( including the cloisters to each side and the Hall of Memory under the building ' s central dome ) and the sculpture garden is on the lawn to the west . The heart of the commemorative area is the " Hall of Memory " , a tall domed chapel with a small floor plan in the form of an octagon . The walls are lined with tiny mosaic tiles from the floor to the dome . Inside lies the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier . Three of the walls , facing east , west , and south , feature stained glass designs representing qualities of Australian servicemen and women . At the four walls facing northeast , northwest , southeast , and southwest are mosaic images of a Sailor , a Servicewoman , a Soldier and an Airman , respectively . The mosaic and stained glass were the work of the one - armed Australian muralist Napier Waller , who had lost his right arm at Bullecourt during World War I and learned to write and create his works with his left arm . He completed his work in 1958 . In front of the Hall of Memory is a narrow courtyard with a memorial pool surrounding an eternal flame and flanked by sidewalks and shrubbery , including plantings of rosemary for remembrance . Above the courtyard to either side are long cloisters containing the " Roll of Honour " , a series of bronze plaques naming the 102 , 000 Australian servicemen and women killed in conflict . The plaques include names dating back to the British Sudanese Expedition , the Second Boer War , and the Boxer Rebellion . The entire long wall of the western gallery is covered with the names of the thousands who died in World War I . The eastern gallery is covered with the names of those who died in World War II and more recent conflicts . The roll shows the names only , not rank or other awards , as " all men are equal in death " . Visiting relatives and friends insert poppies in the cracks between the bronze plaques , beside the names of their loved ones that they wish to honour ; many continue to be inserted by the names of those who died in World War I , and a few even appear by the names of those who died in the 19th century campaigns . A small exhibit in the museum indicates that the famous Breaker Morant of the Boer War does not appear in the Roll of Honour , not because he was dishonoured , but rather because he was not actually a member of the Australian armed forces . When the Memorial closes each day , there is a ceremony at which visitors can gather at the entrance , hear a very brief explanation from a host , and listen as a recording of the " Last Post " is played . On significant days , a piper or a bugler descends from the gallery , playing the Last Post . Forecourt and Stone of Remembrance . The forecourt is the part of the commemorative area that is the main place in Canberra where Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services are held . These services are normally attended by Federal parliament representatives and officials from foreign embassies and Commonwealth high commissions , most notably those from New Zealand . The Stone of Remembrance is the focal point for these activities , and the steps from the Memorial towards Anzac Parade lead to the Stone then to the Parade . The grassed sides of the forecourt form a natural amphitheatre which can accommodate aound 35 - 40 , 000 people at a typical Anzac Day Dawn Service Most will be standing , but the Memorial erects some staged seating for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day . The Memorial building . The Memorial is a two - storey building with a floor plan in the shape of a cross . The building is of Byzantine architecture style with strong styling elements of Art Deco throughout . In 2001 , a new , broad annex called " ANZAC Hall " was added to the north of the original building . In order to preserve the view of the original building from Anzac Parade , ANZAC Hall was designed to be recessed into the grounds below , and hidden behind a wall . The upper level is dedicated primarily to World War I ( the entire west wing ) and World War II ( the entire east wing ) . In the World War I area there is extensive material pertaining to the Gallipoli campaign . Between the wings lies " Aircraft Hall " , which contains a number of complete aircraft , mostly from the World War II era . Also between the wings lies the " Hall of Valour " , a display of 61 of the 96 Victoria Cross es awarded to Australian soldiers ; the largest publicly held collection of Victoria Crosses in the world . There is an individual display for the holder of each Cross shown there , with a photograph , an excerpt from the citation that accompanied the award , and usually additional medals awarded to the same soldier . The relatives of Australian VC holders often donate or lend the Crosses to the Memorial for safekeeping and greater public awareness of their honoured kin . On 24 July 2006 Kerry Stokes purchased the 60th medal at auction for a world record price of A $ 1 , 000 , 000 and asked that it be displayed in the Victoria Cross Gallery . This medal was awarded to Captain Alfred Shout for hand - to - hand combat at the Lone Pine trenches in Gallipoli Turkey . The Victoria Cross Gallery now has all 9 VCs awarded to Australians at Gallipoli . The lower level contains a theatre , a research area , displays for the colonial and post – World War II conflicts , and an area for temporary special exhibitions . ANZAC Hall is a large annex to the upper level of the memorial , used for the display of large military hardware . Notable displays on the Western side include a complete and particularly historic Lancaster bomber known as G for George , a Japanese " Ko - hyoteki " class midget submarine sunk during a raid on Sydney Harbour in 1942 , rare German aircraft such as the Me 262 and Me 163 , and a restored Japanese A6M Zero , that was flown in combat over New Guinea . The eastern side includes a World War I aircraft exhibition , notably displaying a Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a , Pzalz D . XII and Albatros D . Va , among others . The building is large and the collections are extensive ; a full day will suffice for only the most cursory examination of its contents . A gift shop and two coffee shops are on site , one overlooking ANZAC Hall , called " The Landing Place " , and the other on the eastern side of the main building , called " The Terrace " . The sculpture garden . The sculpture garden on the west lawn of the Memorial contains a variety of outdoor monuments . The sidewalk through the garden is embedded with bronze plaques commemorating various branches of service , specific units , and historical events . There are also a number of sculptures , including a gigantic figure of a World War II - era Australian soldier which was originally located in the Hall of Memory , before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed there . There is a gun turret from HMAS " Brisbane " , a gun barrel from the heavy cruiser HMAS " Australia " and the barrel from the Amiens Gun – a huge railroad gun captured from the Germans during World War I . This area is used for special displays during annual Memorial Open Days , and summertime band concerts are held on the nearby lawn . Storage facility at Mitchell . The Treloar Technology Centre is the AWM ' s storage and conservation facility . Located in the industrial suburb of Mitchell , it houses the items from the Memorial ' s collection which are not on display . The facility also includes workshops which are used for restoration tasks . The Treloar Technology Centre is occasionally opened to the public during ' Big Things in Store ' open days .