New footage reveals unseen elements of the Memorial build

The Australian War Memorial has revealed footage of the award-winning new Main Entrance Foyer, scheduled to open this summer.

The computer animated flythrough presents a first look at the new public spaces dedicated to telling the stories of recent conflicts and the Australians who served in them.

“The new galleries will be devoted to Afghanistan, to Iraq and to Syria,” Australian War Memorial Director, Matt Anderson, said.

“There will be galleries that address the fact that Australians have been deployed in peacekeeping operations every single day since 1947.”

The footage has been released as the Memorial’s redevelopment reaches an important milestone: the re-opening of the new look Commemorative Entrance and Forecourt.

Development works began in 2021 with the Memorial committed to remaining open to visitors as new spaces were built. The new parade ground opened for Anzac Day 2024, with the Commemorative Entrance opening on 24 September.

The new entrance features a glass oculus, which is an inversion of the iconic dome of the Australian War Memorial.

“The oculus is about maintaining a visual connection to the existing entrance and also bringing light into the space,” Doug Southwell of SC Studio said.

The new Anzac Hall will open in 2026 with the broader project on schedule for completion in 2028.

“We have assembled a world leading collection of the stories, the artefacts, the objects that tell the story from Gallipoli to Afghanistan and more in one place,” Australian War Memorial Director, Matt Anderson, said.

The opening follows Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award for 2024, which places the Australian War Memorial in the top one per cent of Tripadvisor’s 1.6 million listings worldwide.