About the Memorial
Welcome
Memorial Director, Steve Gower, outlines the scope of the website and some of its more interesting features.
Director's Favourites
The Director invites you to view some of his personal favourites from Memorial's extensive collections.
Plan Your Visit
Find out how to make the most of your visit to the Memorial in Canberra, Australia. Information on location, opening hours, transport and parking, accessability, tours and more.
Origins
C.E.W. Bean first began thinking about commemorating the sacrifice of Australians in war in 1915, at Gallipoli. The idea of a national museum took hold later, while Bean was visiting Pozières, France, where the Australian divisions suffered 23,000 casualties in less than seven weeks of fighting in 1916. Bean's idea was to set aside a place in Australia where families and friends could grieve for those buried in places far away and difficult to visit - a place that would also contribute to the understanding of war itself. Both commemoration and furthering our understanding of war inspire our work at the Memorial today.
Virtual Tour of the Memorial's Galleries and Grounds
The Memorial complex includes commemorative areas, a sculpture garden, gallery exhibits, research facilities, and function spaces. Discover what there is to see and do on your visit.
Collections
During the First World War, Australian troops were officially encouraged to collect relics of the battles in which they had fought. That tradition of acquisition and preservation continues today, enhancing the written record of war, and has produced one of the finest military artefact, document and media collections in the world. This web site makes some of those collections accessible on-line to everyone for the first time.
Conservation
Like other museums, art galleries, libraries or archives, the Memorial is concerned with conserving our cultural heritage. Find out how trained Memorial staff carry out conservation on works of art, textiles, paper, photographs, small objects, and large technology objects. Also discover what you can do to help care for your own precious items.
