The Memorial's exterior

The Anzac Memorial was designed as a sculptural monument, a unique collaboration between architect Charles Bruce Dellit and sculptor George Rayner Hoff; it is arguably one of the finest examples of the union of architecture and art in Australia.

The building is a striking architectural form, symmetrical on both axes. It uses elements reminiscent of traditional Gothic architecture (buttresses, cathedral windows, high ceilings) in the Art Deco style. The Memorial is adorned externally with twenty sculptures representing the units of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). These are the sentinels of the building, keeping watch while representing the fallen to whom the building is dedicated.

On this day

On this day
2 June

1953 — Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll at Westminster Abbey

1965 — Lead troops of 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, landed in Vietnam. This also marked the first of more than 600 QANTAS chartered flights moving troops to and from Vietnam, in what was to become known as “Skippy Squadron”