Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408:front:0:p289
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00408
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 888965–891966

Australian War Memorial as a must-see – it is included on all listed short tours.  However, no tour images include Anzac Parade.  (Canberra Tourism, canberratourism.com.au, accessed 13/9/2011)

  Figure 106.  Anzac Parade, looking towards Parliament House
  Source:  Tourism Australia, www.australia.com/canberra.aspx

On the Tourism Australia website, the Australian War Memorial is listed as one of five 'capital attractions' (Tourism Australia, www.australia.com/canberra.aspx, accessed 13 Sep 2011, site inactive 4 August 2022).

    4.6 Events and Activities

Visitors, events and guided tours

As an open space, it is difficult to estimate the number of people who visit Anzac Parade and walk to each of the memorials.

Anzac Parade is the location of many events associated with commemoration.  The NCA advises that on average, eleven events have been held annually on Anzac Parade (based on data for 2009–2011).  A list of some of the annual events held at each memorial is included in a table below.

The number who attend Anzac Day is not usually recorded, but numbers are growing.  In 2000, the NCA advises that 13,500 attended the ANZAC Parade Open Day/Night joint event with the Australian War Memorial.  In 2019, about 45,000 attended the dawn service and day time ceremonies.

Until around 2011, the NCA offered guided tours of Anzac Parade, and these were led by Ron Metcalfe OAM, a World War 2 veteran.  These tours were very popular and promoted through the Australian War Memorial, as well as via the NCA website.  The tours (Anzac on Parade) were offered by the NCA over a number years, with the highest numbers attending being 800+ in 2005-07, and a more typical year being around 180-200 (Natalie Broughton, email, 26/10/2011).

When Ron Metcalfe was no longer able to act as a guide, the conducted tours stopped.  The NCA subsequently prepared the Anzac Parade Walking Tour Podcast (2009) which was available from its website.  It featured interviews with a number of ex-service personnel, including Ron Metcalf, and provided information on each memorial.  While this is no longer available, self-guided tours are available (https://www.nca.gov.au/attractions/take-tour).

The NCA describes the significance of Anzac Parade as,

    'visually powerful, with a red gravel central strip and dark eucalypt 'walls'.  The red gravel of the central strip was originally made from crushed Canberra house bricks.  The material was chosen in part for the similarity to the 'crunch' made by military boots during a parade.  The 'walls' are created by the Victorian Blue Gum, Eucalyptus bicostata, and the planter boxes, which contrast in colour to the crushed red brick paving, [had at the time] the native New Zealand plant Hebe 'Autumn Glory' growing in them (symbolising the Anzac connection).'  (https://www.nca.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-12/Anzac%20Parade_WalkingTour_Flyer%20online.pdf, accessed 4 August 2022)

The NCA podcast is regularly accessed from their website, with