, with
Mount Ainslie in the background. The Australian War Memorial is located in
Campbell, a suburb of Canberra in the
Australian Capital Territory. It is situated on the symbolic terminus of the land axis of
Walter Burley Griffin's plan for Canberra, at the base of
Mount Ainslie. The property is approximately and is bounded by Limestone Avenue to the southwest, Fairbairn Avenue to the southeast, and Treloar Crescent to the north. It is positioned at the northern terminus of
Anzac Parade, which aligns with the land axis of central Canberra's design. This axis runs from the peak of
Mount Ainslie in the northeast to
Capital Hill, in the southwest, a distance of . The AWM's positioning along this axis was deliberate to reflect its national importance and provide it with a clear line of sight to Parliament House and vice versa. The entire AWM is listed on Australia's
Commonwealth Heritage List, while the AWM and the adjacent Anzac Parade are also listed on the
National Heritage List. Monuments and memorials situated at Anzac Parade are maintained separately by the NCA and do not form part of the Australian War Memorial. To the north of the park is Remembrance Nature Park, the Canberra terminus of
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. The southern face of the AWM grounds, the Parade Ground, includes the Stone of Remembrance, a six-and-a-half tonnes
remembrance stone that serves as a focal point for major and national ceremonies at the AWM. The stone was relocated to the Parade Ground in 1962. The Parade Ground was redeveloped in 2004 to improve access for ceremonial events, with sandstone terraces and a forecourt surrounding the Stone of Remembrance. In 2021, the Stone of Remembrance was temporarily relocated to the AWM's western courtyard to accommodate construction for the museum's expansion. The courtyard contains a
reflecting pool and steps up its northern end leading to the Hall of Memory. The courtyard is lined by arched
cloisters, with the Roll of Honour positioned behind them. The Roll of Honour panels were installed in 1961 to commemorate the dead of World War I. Subsequent panels to commemorate the dead from other conflicts were installed after the 1960s. The Roll of Honour is situated on the east, west and southern walls of the courtyard and contains the names of over 102,000 Australians killed in war, from the
Mahdist War and the
War in Afghanistan. No rank or distinction is recorded with the names, on the basis that all died equally. The courtyard has 26 carved stone figures, representing Australian fauna and Indigenous people. The original plaster models were designed by Bowles and sculpted by W. Swan in 1940. However, as the carvings were made of Wondabyne sandstone, they suffered extensive deterioration until they were replaced in the 2010s. Originally all were
gargoyles, but the two figures depicting an Indigenous man and woman had their functionality as gargoyles removed following consultations with Indigenous elders in 2017. Plants were introduced into the courtyard in 1977, to address a perceived need to soften the "austere" appearance of the area. A granite cascade by
Robert Woodward was added to the northern end of the pool in 1980, which was later replaced by an
eternal flame in 1988.
Hall of Memory The Memorial Building's Hall of Memory is located north of the courtyard, in the domed portion of the structure. The dome itself is representative of the ascent of the dead. The Hall of Memory contains the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. The Hall also contained Ewer's completed statue until its relocation to the sculpture garden in the late 1990s. Four pillars designed by
Janet Laurence are placed behind the Tomb in front of a
stained glass window, where Ewer's statue once stood. The pillars represent the elements of air, earth, fire, and water. The stained glass windows and mosaics were designed by Waller, representing Australia's armed services. Over six million glass tiles were imported from Italy to complete the mosaic compositions of an airman, sailor, servicewoman, and soldier. and the four pillars by
Janet Laurence in the Hall of Memory. The function of the Hall of Memory has shifted significantly from the original conception of the building. Previously it was intended to contain the Roll of Honour, but for cost reasons this was located in the courtyard in the final design. This left the purpose of the Hall uncertain, with Commonwealth Director of Works JS Murdoch recommending in the late 1920s a statute "symbolising the effect of war on civilisation". Treloar suggested a
stone of remembrance and a cross of sacrifice similar to those of the
Imperial War graves where visitors could lay wreaths. However, the Depression ended further expansion. While some members of the RSL recommended a local tomb of the unknown soldier following the internment of
the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, this was rejected by those who considered the Unknown Warrior as representing all the war dead in the broader British Empire. One member of the RSL stated "we claim kindred with his sacred clay. He is our hero as much as he is the hero of any other part of the empire. His tomb is a symbol of British unity." This position was formally taken by the RSL in 1922, stating "the sentiment of the Empire was expressed in the burial in London." On the opening of the Memorial in 1941, the Hall was planned to contain a "female figure, raised beyond a sarcophagus, symbolising Australia proudly and courageously giving her all in the cause of freedom and honour". This did not eventuate, and instead a monumental column designed by Leslie Bowles, was mocked up in plaster. It depicted four figures representing the
Four Freedoms invoked by
Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, the relevant minister severely attacked the proposal as a "monstrosity" and the plans for the artwork were destroyed. Subsequently, a work of monumental realism
Australian Serviceman was installed, no longer a monument to mourning, but instead symbolising "'Young Australia' in an attitude of Remembrance, Hope for the Future, Achievement". The end of the British Empire and the rise in Australian nationalism lessened the connections Australians had with the Unknown Warrior in London. The RSL reversed its position in 1970, but the board of the Memorial was opposed stating that a tomb "too late, and verging on the macabre". Later similar tombs were created in the other former British dominions of
Canada (2000) and
New Zealand (2004). Historians James Curran and Stuart Ward suggests that part of the impetus for a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after so many years was the incongruousness of
Australian Serviceman, "arguable the last monument to muscular imperial manhood ever erected in Australia" to Australians who now longer identified with the imperial ideal and instead looked for symbols more in keeping with Australia's new independent status. In 1999 the head of the tomb was inscribed with the words "
Known unto God", similar to those on other Commonwealth graves. A controversy erupted in 2013 when it was stated that this inscription was to be replaced with another quote from the Keating speech: "We do not know this Australian's name, we never will". However, due to criticism this plan was dropped, with instead the previously mentioned Keating quote replaced a previous inscription that stated "He symbolises all those Australians who've died in war".
Museum areas and the
fall of Singapore The Memorial Building's museum and exhibits are located on its lower levels and surround the building's commemorative sections. Several galleries in the Memorial Building are organised by conflict, like the First World War gallery and the Second World War gallery. The AWM also operates galleries that are not specific to a single conflict, like the Colonial Conflict gallery, Conflicts 1945 to Today gallery, the Aircraft Hall, and the Hall of Valour. Although many of these galleries incorporate dioramas, most of them are located in the First and Second World War galleries. Most of these dioramas are made of hessian, plaster, timber, and lead, and were designed to be transportable. The First and Second World War galleries are made up of four interconnected galleries and are located in the oldest portions of the building. These interconnected galleries formerly had a skylight running its full length, although this was later covered up to protect items on display from exposure. The Second World War gallery was redeveloped in the late 1990s, while the First World War gallery was redeveloped in 2014. The Sinai and Palestine area in the First World War gallery is the only exhibition in the AWM that retained many of its original architectural and exhibition features. The Aircraft Hall, the Special Exhibition Gallery, the Orientation Gallery, and the Conflicts 1945 to Today Gallery are the newest galleries installed in the AWM. The former three galleries were installed in the late 1990s, and the latter gallery was installed in 2007–08. The Hall of Valour is another gallery that is located below the Hall of Memory and honours Australia's
Victoria Cross and
George Cross recipients. The AWM's collection contains a display of 76 of the 101
Victoria Crosses awarded to Australian soldiers and is the largest publicly held collection of the medal in the world. This includes all nine Victoria Crosses awarded to Australians at Gallipoli:
Alexander Burton,
William Dunstan,
John Hamilton,
Albert Jacka,
Leonard Keysor,
Alfred Shout,
William Symons,
Hugo Throssell and
Frederick Tubb. The medal issued to Shout was provided to the AWM by
Kerry Stokes, who purchased the medal for a world-record price of A$1,000,000 and asked that it be displayed in the Hall of Valour. The remains of a mosaic from a Byzantine church uncovered by Australian soldiers during the
Second Battle of Gaza are also installed in the Hall of Valour.
Sculpture garden The western portion of the AWM grounds was remodelled in 1999 for use as a
sculpture garden. The first sculpture placed in the garden was Ewers'
Australian Serviceman statue, relocated from the Memorial Building's Hall of Memory. As of 2022, a total of 25 memorials or sculptures have been installed within the grounds of the AWM, and over 150 plaques which commemorate individual unit associations can be found in the gardens. In addition to the sculpture garden, several sculptures are also located on the eastern portion of the AWM grounds. File:Simpson and his donkey, Australian War Memorial.jpg|
Simpson and his Donkey File:Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Statue, Canberra.jpg|
Edward 'Weary' Dunlop Statue File:2nd Division infantry attack by May Butler-George, Meridian Sculpture Founders.jpg|2nd Division infantry attack by
May Butler-George, Meridian Sculpture Founders File:Bringing up the guns by May Butler-George, Meridian Sculpture Founders.jpg|
Bringing up the guns by May Butler-George, Meridian Sculpture Founders File:Afghanistan Camp Russell Memorial, Australian War Memorial.jpg|Afghanistan
Camp Russell Memorial File:Australian Serviceman by Ray Ewers, Battaglia & Co-Close view.jpg|
Australian Serviceman by
Ray Ewers, Battaglia & Co File:Animals in War Memorial by Charles Web Gilbert, Steven Holland, Bertram Mackennal, Paul Montford, Kell & Denson Stoneworks Pty Ltd.jpg|Animals in War Memorial by Charles Web Gilbert, Steven Holland, Bertram Mackennal, Paul Montford File:Australian Servicewomen’s Memorial by Anne Ferguson.jpg|Australian Servicewomen’s Memorial by Anne Ferguson File:Bomber Command Memorial by Neil Dawson.jpg|Bomber Command Memorial by Neil Dawson File:British Commonwealth Occupation Force Memorial-Close view.jpg|
British Commonwealth Occupation Force Memorial File:Circling Into Sleep by Steven Holland.jpg|
Circling Into Sleep by Steven Holland File:Flanders Field Memorial Garden in the Australian War Memorial-Close view.jpg|Flanders Field Memorial Garden File:For Every Drop Shed in Anguish by Alex Seton.jpg|For Every Drop Shed in Anguish by
Alex Seton File:For our Country by Daniel Boyd and Edition Office Architects-Sculptural pavilion.jpg|
For our Country by
Daniel Boyd File:For our Country by Daniel Boyd and Edition Office Architects-Contemplative space.jpg|
For our Country Contemplative space by Daniel Boyd File:General Sir John Monash statue by Sarah, Holland-Batt, Charles Robb, Billmans Foundry.jpg|General Sir
John Monash statue by
Sarah Holland-Batt and Charles Robb File:Patriotism sculpture by Paul Montford, Meridian Sculpture Founders.jpg|Patriotism by
Paul Montford File:Sandakan Memorial by Anne Ferguson.jpg|
Sandakan Memorial by Anne Ferguson File:Survivors by Dennis Adams, Turville Foundry.jpg|
Survivors by Dennis Adams File:War by Bertram Mackennal.jpg|War by
Bertram Mackennal File:ANZAC Battlefield commemorative plaque in the Australian War Memorial.jpg|ANZAC Battlefield commemorative plaque File:War Correspondents Memorial by Johnson Pilton Walker Architects.jpg|War Correspondents Memorial by Johnson Pilton Walker File:Australian Corps of Signals Pigeon Service plaque.jpg|Australian Corps of Signals Pigeon Service plaque File:WW2 Australian Women's Commemoration plaque, Australian War Memorial.jpg|World War 2 Australian Women's Commemoration plaque ==Commemorative services==