Top 5 ANZAC Day centenary events around Australia

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This year’s ANZAC Day marks the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign. Jac Taylor shares her top five commemorative events around Australia.

1. Great Ocean Road, Melbourne

Constructed by returned First World War soldiers over 14 years following the war’s end, the Great Ocean Road could be seen as the world’s largest war memorial. Take in the memorial arch just west of Aireys Inlet and catch the dawn service on Saturday at Point Danger in Torquay.

 

Then head in to Melbourne for the many exhibitions being held: a display of archaeological finds from the Gallipoli battlefield (Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Ave, Melbourne); more than 350 wartime artefacts on loan from London’s Imperial War Museums (Melbourne Museum, Nicholson St, Carlton Gardens), and war propaganda, newsreels, advertisements and features from the early 20th century (Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square).

2. Canberra

If you’re not making the trip to Gallipoli, this is the next most traditional way to mark the day. The Australian War Memorial  has been commemorating the centenary of the First World War since last year, but of course ANZAC Day is probably the most important day of that commemoration.

 

Anzac Day commemorations in the Nation’s Capital begin on the evening of Sunday 23 April with images of Australia’s service men and women being projected on the Memorial building. These projections will run until the commencement of the Dawn Service on Tuesday 25th April.

 

On Tuesday, excerpts from the letters and diaries of Australians who experienced war firsthand will be read aloud by a representative from each of the armed forces from 4.30 am.

 

At 4:55pm the Last Post Ceremony will commence in the War Memorial’s Commemorative Area. All members of the public are welcome to attend this special ceremony.

3. Camp Gallipoli, several locations

A one-off celebration held concurrently in seven cities, this is a chance to sleep out under the stars in a digger-style swag in a huge display of ‘mateship’. Be entertained by special guests, documentaries and films, and rise along with your newfound friends for dawn service on ANZAC morning in Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Hobart, Auckland. Camp Gallipoli is sounding pretty special.

4. Winton, Queensland

ANZAC Day falls on the last day of the eight-day Angel Flight Outback Trailblazer 4WD event in Winton – so you know spending ANZAC Day here will inject plenty of larrikin into proceedings. Along with the dawn service and march, highlights include breakfast at the local RSL; the Aussier-than-anything Waltzing Matilda Centre; an impromptu singalong with the pianola at the North Gregory Hotel, where the song itself was first played; and finally ’40s-era big bands will swing Winton’s Shire Hall so you can party like it’s 1945.

5. Albany, WA

The birthplace of the dawn service, and the last sight of Australia many soldiers had as they set off for war, Albany has a full and fascinating plan to commemorate ANZAC Day this year. More is happening than can be listed here, but events include parades, a ‘gunfire breakfast’, music and poetry tributes, concerts, screenings, re-enactments, storytelling, yacht races, a football match and race day on top of all that. The town square will be transformed into a 1915 time capsule over the ANZAC weekend, and of course all of Albany’s sights such as the National ANZAC Centre, Pier of Remembrance, Princess Royal Fortress Military Museum and Forts Museum make a trip here absolutely worthwhile. See Anzac Albany

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Film lovers need to add these Victorian theatres to their bucket list

    Ricky FrenchBy Ricky French
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    Theatres have always been a cornerstone of regional Victoria, reflecting the character and history of their local communities.

    From grand, gold rush-era masterpieces to Art Deco wonders to repurposed prisons, we’ve rounded up four of Victoria’s best regional theatres to catch a show at next time you’re travelling through.

    Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

    Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat 
    Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat has been standing for 150 years. (Image: Michael Pham)

    A monument to the immense gold rush wealth flooding through Ballarat in the second half of the 19th century, Her Majesty’s Theatre (‘Her Maj’ to locals) celebrates its 150th anniversary as the city’s premier performing arts venue this year.

    Built in a classical style and immaculately preserved (thanks largely to a recent $16-million restoration), this Lydiard Street landmark is the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia, notable for its double balcony and a stage that slopes towards the front, making it one of the most audience-friendly venues in the country to see a show.

    The Capital, Bendigo

    The Capital Theatre, Bendigo
    The Capital in Bendigo was built in 1873 as a Masonic Hall. (Image: Michael Pham)

    Denoted by its distinctive Corinthian columns, more reminiscent of ancient Greece than regional Victoria, The Capital theatre in Bendigo has been through several iterations since the first stone was laid in 1873.

    Originally a Masonic hall, the renaissance revival-style building became a theatre in the 1890s, falling into disrepair for a time during the 1970s, before being restored and reopened (as the Bendigo Regional Arts Centre) in 1991. Today, the 480-seat venue hosts everything from comedy to cabaret to traditional theatre, dance, opera and live music.

     Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo

    a look insideBendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre
    Inside Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre, a former prison. (Image: Michael Pham)

    Bendigo has busted out as a regional performing arts hotspot, so it’s fitting that one of its newest venues is housed within a former prison. Meaning ‘meeting place’ or ‘gather together’ in the language of the local Dja Dja Wurrung people, the $26-million, 950-seat auditorium rose from within the red brick walls of the historic Sandhurst Gaol in 2015.

    It’s an eerie feeling as you approach the imposing granite facade, pass beneath the old gallows and pick up your ticket from the box office occupying a repurposed cell block. With the building playing a main character in the show, this is performative architecture at its finest.

    Rex Theatre, Charlton

    the Rex Theatre in Charlton
    The 1938-built Rex Theatre in Charlton is an Art Deco gem. (Image: Jenny Pollard)

    Regional theatres don’t come more romantic than this Art Deco gem in the river town of Charlton, in north-central Victoria. Built in 1938, the 350-seat community-owned theatre provides an essential entertainment outlet for residents in the Wimmera Mallee region, as well as visitors making the trip up the Calder Highway from Melbourne.

    The volunteer-run venue is the last remaining purpose-built cinema in regional Victoria, and hosts the Charlton Film Festival every February, plus three weekly film screenings (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday).