The Shrine of Remembrance

In 1923, local architects Phillip Hudson and James Wardrop were awarded first place in a competition to design a National War Memorial to honour the sacrifice of Victorians during the First World War.

Construction of the Shrine commenced in 1928. Many of the labourers employed to build the Shrine were returned ex-servicemen from the First World War.

The Shrine was dedicated by the Duke of Gloucester on Armistice Day (11 November) 1934. It is estimated that over 300,000 people attended the ceremony, almost one third of Melbourne's population at the time.

The words inscribed on the east wall of the Shrine were chosen by General Sir John Monash, Australia's most decorated officer from the First World War.

The Shrine is decorated with north and south facing classically inspired architectural friezes. At the centre of the southern frieze is a youth leading the
horses of Neptune. This figure represents the soldiers returning from overseas holding the fruits of victory.

British born sculptor Paul Montford was responsible for overseeing the design of all sculptural elements during the construction of the Shrine.

These words from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen, known more commonly in Australia as the Ode of Remembrance, are written in the surface of the Second World War forecourt.

Lyndon Dadswell designed the friezes for the Sanctuary under the supervision of British expatriate sculptor Paul Montford. Dadswell later served as an official war sculptor in the Second World War.

The Colours on display in the Shrine Crypt originate from 27 Victorian units of the Australian Army and represent some 25 per cent of all Victorian Regimental Colours.

In the centre of the Crypt is Raymond Ewers' sculpture Father and Son created in 1968 to honour the courage and sacrifice of two generations of Victorians who served and died in the First and Second World Wars.

In 2003 a visitor centre was created beneath the Shrine as part of a restoration and redevelopment project. The centre was designed by Melbourne architects Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM).

An olive tree in the centre of the Garden courtyard symbolises endurance, life, hope and peace.

The wall patterns in the Terrace Courtyard are inspired by the digital camouflage used by the Australian Army. The town names on the red steel wall panels are Victorian place names for recruits from the Second World War, Korea and Vietnam.

Suspended above the Education Centre Entry Courtyard a giant metallic canopy takes the form of a Flanders poppy.

The poppy became a symbol of Remembrance after the First World War.

The wall panels in the Education Courtyard produce an outline of an elongated map of the world and the perforations are a Morse Code translation of the Ode of Remembrance by Laurence Binyon.

The Gallipoli Memorial Garden commemorates the service and sacrifice of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) in the Gallipoli campaign 25 April - 20 December 1915.

The Remembrance Garden – Post 1945 Memorial honours the contribution of service men and women in war and peacekeeping operations after the Second World War.

The Ex-servicewomen's Memorial Garden was created in 2011 to honour the contribution of women in wartime.

Inside the shrine, the First World War Galleries hosts the binnacle from the German raider SMS Emden. This highlight relic is on loan courtesy of the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Collection.

Relics from the Western Front in the First World War Galleries.

Another popular relic is the Devanha lifeboat No.5 from the ANZAC landing on Gallipoli. The Devanha lifeboat is on loan courtesy of the Australian War Memorial.

This display features relics from the Australian Flying Corps - the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during the First World War, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

Captain Kenneth Parsons, 2/3rd Motor Ambulance Convoy, removed this Union Flag from the Sultan of Jahor's palace in late January 1942 to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands.

Women weren't permitted to perform military duties outside the medical sphere at the outset of the war, but severe manpower shortages forced a rethink. On 26 February 1941, the first and largest women's service, the Women' Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF), was formed.

The Post 1945 Conflicts Gallery presents stories related to the Korean and Vietnam wars as well as The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in post-war Japan and the Malayan Emergency.

The Peace Keeping Galleries commemorate the role of Australian peacekeepers around the world. A founding member of the United Nations, Australia sent some of the world's first peacekeepers to Indonesia in 1947.

The Recent Conflicts Gallery surveys Australia’s military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An interactive Peace Wall is located at the conclusion of the Galleries of Remembrance. In this gallery we ask the question: can we resolve tension by non-violent means?

A view up the Southern Staircase.

Inside the Shrine Auditorium.

The Shrine of Remembrance, by night.