war tour brisbane

Welcome to Fort Lytton

Fort Lytton is Queensland’s foremost military exhibit, with extensive fortifications, multiple military museums and a large collection of Australian artillery – that preserves the rich military history of Brisbane.

Come and witness the awe-inspiring Fort Lytton, located in the heart of Brisbane. Admission, Guided tours, and parking are all free 10am-4pm on Sundays and most Brisbane public holidays. It’s a great day out for everyone, from families to serious historians. Click to plan your visit

Exhibitions

Our museum hosts a diverse range of exhibitions that showcase various aspects of military life, from weapons and uniforms to wartime diaries and personal memorabilia. These exhibits offer a glimpse into the daily challenges faced by soldiers and highlight their bravery and sacrifices. Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious, you’ll find something intriguing in our carefully curated collections.

Anzac Square & Memorial Galleries

Experience Queensland’s pre-eminent war memorial

Place a free virtual poppy

Queensland War Memorial Register

Chat with Charlie, the Virtual Veteran

Latest stories, place a poppy at anzac square and online.

Plan your visit

• Conditions of entry
• Plan your visit: Accessibility
• Getting here
• Memorial Features
• Museum at home
• Research at the Memorial
• Poppy's Cafe
• Exhibitions

Galleries : 10 am to 4 pm daily (closed Christmas Day)

Last Post Ceremony : Entry at 4:00 pm, Ceremony commences at 4:30 pm (last admittance at 4:40 pm)

Read the Conditions of Entry .

All visitors require a free timed ticket to enter the Memorial Galleries and attend the Last Post Ceremony. Visitors are advised to book their free ticket in advance to guarantee entry.

Free ticketing is in place to comply with building code capacity limits, due to construction of the Memorial’s Development Project. We thank you for your understanding.

The Avro Lancaster B1, 'G for George', is currently not on display in the galleries, but housed at our storage and conservation facility; Treloar Technology Centre.

Free entry,  book your ticket

The Memorial has a temporary entrance located opposite Poppy’s Café.

As we transform the Memorial, please expect some disruption to your visit, including construction noise, changed parking conditions, and reduced access to some galleries and exhibitions.

To assist with planning your visit, find updates on all our Current Works page .

Recent changes in and around the Memorial

Conflicts 1945 to Today gallery

From 21 August 2023 visitor access to the Conflicts 1945 to Today gallery will be changing to allow for scheduled construction works as we expand our galleries. Learn more about these changes.

Treloar Crescent – Lane closure

Traffic flow along Treloar Crescent, between East Road and West Road, has been reduced to one lane with two-way traffic being controlled by traffic lights. Find out more .

Coach Parking Bay

The coach parking bay will be fully closed until mid- 2024 . During this time there is no parking available at the Memorial for coaches, caravans or over-height vehicles.

Internal Map Lower Level  (295.05 KB)

Internal Map Ground Level  (751.31 KB)

Internal Map Commemorative Area  (401.17 KB)

Iconic areas of the Memorial remain accessible to visitors, including:

• Aircraft Hall
• Hall of Valour
• First World War Galleries
• Second World War Galleries
• Conflicts - 1945 to Today Galleries and 
• the Commemorative Area, the Hall of Memory and Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier, Roll of Honour and Pool of Reflection.

Visitor Carparking  is available in the P1 Visitor Carpark underneath Poppy’s Café.

Access to the P1 Visitor Carpark is from Fairbairn Avenue.

Carpark clearance:  2.3m .

Caravan, campervan, trailer and over-height vehicle parking

From 1 August to mid-2024  there will be no caravan, campervan, trailer, and over-height vehicle parking available at the Memorial.

Coach parking

The coach parking bay will be  fully closed until mid-2024  to allow for construction works.

Go to the Tours page  to learn about our free daily tours. 

Bus  -   Timetables - Transport Canberra (act.gov.au)

Public bus stops are located on Fairbairn Avenue and Limestone Avenue.

Taxi or ride share  - Drop-off and pick-up is next to the National Servicemen's memorial on East Road.

Cycle  - Bike racks are located behind Poppy’s Café and the temporary Reading Room above the P1 Visitor Carpark.

Find out more information about accessing the Memorial . 

Visit the Galleries - First World War, Second World War and Conflicts 1945 to Today

Acknowledgement of traditional custodians.

The Australian War Memorial acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and waters. We pay our respects to elders past and present.

• Skip to content

Search places

• Place name, suburb, town or postcode
• Place type (any) Aircraft wreck Airfield Ammunition facility Cemetery Civil defence facility Factory site/industry Fortifications Headquarters Incident Internment/POW facility Medical facility Military accommodation Military camp Naval/port facility Radar/signal station Recreation/community Scientific facility Supply facility Training facility Workshop
• Region (any) Atherton Tablelands Brisbane City Cairns Central-West Darling Downs Fitzroy-Mackay Greater Brisbane North and Cape York North-West South-East South-West Townsville Wide Bay-Burnett

Today in WWII 15 May

Queensland world war ii historic places.

Between 1942 and 1945, Queensland became a support base for the war effort in the South West Pacific. With the rapid capture of Singapore by the Japanese forces and the subsequent bombing of Darwin and Townsville, Queensland felt vulnerable and many anticipated invasion.

Fortifications, airfields and civil defence became an immediate priority. Industry and the population were mobilised to provide workshops, depots, factories and the necessary recreation and medical facilities. New camps were required for the United States forces and Australia’s Divisions returned from the Middle East. Queensland became a training area and eventually Brisbane’s population doubled as it became the headquarters for the South West Pacific campaign. The legacy of many of these places still remains in the landscape.

Discover the places in Queensland that had military significance or supported the war effort during the dynamic years of World War II.

Search on the map

Search on a map for WWII historic places in Queensland.

Timeline of events

Explore a timeline of events in World War II.

South West Pacific campaign

The South West Pacific campaign during WWII.

• Women in the war
• Children in wartime
• more…

The Services

• Royal Australian Navy
• The Australian Army

About this site

• How to contribute

Today's Courier-Mail from 1940

Look up issues of the Courier-Mail from during the war .

• Gallipolli Barracks, Wynter Road, Enoggera QLD, Australia
• Wed 8am – 1pm, by appointment
• http://www.9bnassoc.org/
• 0415 506 041
• https://www.facebook.com/9thBattalionsMuseum/

9th Battalions War Memorial Museum

The museum covers the history of the 9th Battalions since 1867 with artefacts and memorabilia from the First Queenslanders, Boer War, the 9th Battalion A.I.F. (WWI), 2/9th Battalion A.I.F., 9th Battalion (The Moreton Regiment) WWII, 9RAR, 8/9RAR  and through to present serving unit 9RQR.

We are located within a secure Military Base and visitors must obtain a security pass (Government issued ID required) at the front gate (Lloyd Street) before entry and then be escorted on and off the Base by a member of the Museum staff. It is therefore essential to call and make an appointment first: 0415 506 041.

Email: [email protected]

Australian World War I Battlefield Tours made for Australians…

• Our half-day & full-day tours are based on ‘first hand’ historical research & literature of the  Great War , such as the Official Australian War History of the Great War written by Charles W. Bean , Australia’s official correspondent for the First World War , or on Sir John Monash’s book: The Australian Victories in France in 1918 .
• Our Australian full day tours will enable you to measure the outstanding contribution of Australian soldiers and their officers. You will stand on the very ground   the  ANZAC troops   fought and understand why   WWI became successful with Australian tactics . 20th century definitely started in 1918. A truly Australian (Hi)story…

TRUE BLUE DIGGER TOURS offers you guided day tours to Australian fighting places, memorials & museums…

…on the old Western Front for individuals,  as well as for groups of up to 8 persons . All our tours focus on Australian WW1 History.

• The Somme tour starts by a pick up from either your Amiens hotel or Amiens station ( 70 min by train from Paris ) or at the high speed TGV station in Arras for Flanders .
• You will travel in a Mercedes bus.
• You will visit the places where your soldiers fought and the headstones of your family’s soldiers are .
• You will enjoy lunch at places especially selected in France & Belgium for lasting quality a t fairest price . And moreover…
• We always guarantee you individualized service . The pattern of your private tour is always decided by you and made to suit you . We give you time to link up with your family’s soldier.
• TRUE BLUE DIGGER TOURS is an independent French company , exclusively working for AUSSIES , complying to all obligations in force in France, member of Somme Battlefield Partners , the offical label of the Somme Tourist Department .

Our partners

Terms of Use/Terms & Conditions

Privacy Statement

Oficial site “Circuit du Souvenir”

Proud of our success !

© 2024 TRUE BLUE DIGGER TOURS.

Made with by Graphene Themes .

• Become a member
• View favourites

Suggestions

• Exhibitions
• Clock Tower

What’s On

• Rearranged: Art of the Flower
• Making Place: 100 Views of Brisbane
• Artist in Residence
• All Exhibitions
• Clock Tower Tour
• Brisbane City Hall Tour
• Language Other Than English
• Ekphrastic Writing Club
• Quiet Afternoons
• Bilingual Storytime
• BYO Baby Tour
• ALL MoB KIDS

Making Place: Explore the artworks

Clay: collected ceramics, rearranged: get to know the artists.

• The Easton Pearson Archive
• MoB Sunday Stories
• Stories of Place Audio Tour
• Site Listening : Brisbane
• Where I Belong Podcast
• The Designers’ Guide: Easton Pearson Archive
• All Watch & Listen
• MoB Learn Programs
• MoB Learn Workshops
• MoB Learn Assist
• Book or Make an Enquiry
• MoB Learn FAQs

• Our Partners
• Work with us
• Opportunities for Artists
• Museum of Brisbane Collection
• Brisbane Art Design
• Become a MoB Member
• Contact MoB

Museum of Brisbane

• Level 3, Brisbane City Hall 64 Adelaide St, Brisbane 4000
• info@museumofbrisbane.com.au
• (07) 3339 0800
• Transport and Parking
• MoB Social Story
• Social Story: Clock Tower Tour
• MoB Sensory Map
• Group Bookings
• Teachers and Students
• School Bookings
• About City Hall

• Donate to MoB
• 2024 Learn Assist Appeal
• Easton Pearson Archive
• MoB Member Terms and Conditions
• Add to Our Collection
• Partner with us

Remembering the First World War

The First World War erupted in Europe on 4 August 1914. Across Australia the call to arms was sounded. By the end of the year more than 50,000 young men and nearly 300 women had leapt to support the British Empire. Families waved farewell to their sons and daughters, husbands, brothers, sweethearts and friends. Then they waited anxiously for news from Gallipoli, Turkey – the place of Australia’s first active service in the war.

Many thought the war would be over by Christmas 1914, but it carried on. Wounded men returned home and troops moved from Gallipoli to the trenches of the Western Front and the heat of the Middle East. Even after the fighting had stopped on 11 November 1918, the cost of war continued for those at home.

For the returning troops, the appalling conditions they had endured and the terrors they had witnessed left many physically and mentally traumatised for the rest of their lives.  At the same time, families of the deceased struggled with their grief and the realities of life without their loved ones.

Remembering the First World War  presents a selection of Museum of Brisbane commissioned projects by artists, photographers and filmmakers, to share the war experiences of service people who enlisted through primary documents such as photographs, diary entries and letters.

Still image from Facing World War One: Stories of loyalty, loss and love.

Stories of loyalty, loss and love

Young men from all walks of life left Brisbane to fight in the First World War. Whether driven by patriotic fervour, a sense of adventure or out of economic necessity, they said farewell to home, family and friends. Few who enlisted knew what lay before them – a brutal war like none other fought before.

Facing World War One: Stories of loyalty, loss and love presents the war experiences of a selection of men who enlisted in Brisbane. Through the letters written by their loved ones to the Australian Imperial Force Base Records in Melbourne, this filmic presentation is an intimate revelation of the human impact of war on those who enlisted and those who awaited their return.

The correspondence shows that, as the war lingered on, there was an emotional shift from loyalty to Australia, to dealing with considerable loss and, ultimately, to the endurance of love. Listen below.

Facing World War One: Stories of loyalty, loss and love | Duration: 33mins 20secs | Creative Producers: Karen Donnelly, Tony Nott, Raimond De Weerdt, Writer: David Williams, Narrator: Andrew Rodoreda, Camera: Andre Castaldi, Sound: Adam Boon, Actors: Tracey Bodsworth, Asaiah Carney, Greg Clarke, Wendy Donnelly, Paul Gibbs, Rachel McNamara, Nic Ross, Joseph Thomsen, John Walker, Leon Walsh, Colin Watson, Jeryl Watson, Amos Jon Wilksch.

Letters from the War

Desperately seeking news

Anxiety levels among those at home understandably increased when there was an absence of news from loved ones. With mail taking over two months to arrive, family and friends turned to Base Records for news. Base Records was the records office of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). All enquiries regarding the men and women who had left Australia were to be sent to the one location, Victoria Barracks in Melbourne, where a copy of every soldier’s attestation papers was stored. On average, more than 1,000 letters a day were received by Base Records. Despite the stressful and painful circumstances, these formal and usually patient letters are an intimate revelation of the attitudes and daily worries of those at home.

From October 1914 to December 1921 Base Records sent out:

• 1,495,135 letters
• 163,840 telegrams
• 4,809 cable messages
• 31,608 parcels
• 60,000 War Graves Commission pamphlets
• 25,000 notifications about honours, awards and mentions
• 8,000 bronze oak leaves to those Mentioned in Despatches.

Faces from the War

The organisation Facing Australia creates photographic and video works that reflect upon identity, place and community which contribute to national memory, informing who we are and who we were. The work of Facing Australia challenges anecdotal perceptions about the Australian identity.

The Face of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) (2016) and the Face of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) (2016) are a visual interpretation of all the men and women who served in the First World War. 100 portraits of these men and women were specifically selected and precisely layered, one over the other, to create the composite portraits.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra is inscribed with the words, “He is all of them, and he is one of us”. The composite portraits of the AIF and AANS are Facing Australia’s homage to these words and those men and women of the First World War.

These images were created by Facing Australia for Museum of Brisbane’s exhibition Facing World War One: Stories of loyalty, loss and love on display at Museum of Brisbane between 22 April – 28 August 2016. The exhibition was supported by funding from the Australian Government under the Anzac Centenary Local Grants Program.

Australians in the First World War

Often the most personal reminders of those who went to war were studio portraits of soldiers and nurses in uniform.

It was common for servicemen and women to have their portraits taken to give as gifts before they departed, or to send later to friends and family at home. They were often prized possessions, and in many homes this was the only photo – and sometimes final reminder – of a beloved. These portraits were generously supplied following a 2016 community call out by Museum of Brisbane for portraits of the men and women who served in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS).

We would love to see your studio portraits of relatives involved in the First World War. Tag @museumofbrisbane on social media to share your photos.

The Wattle | Our Flower

Officially proclaimed our national floral emblem in 1988, the wattle has been used as a symbol of Australia since before the Federation of our nation in 1901. Our sporting colours of green and gold are drawn from the colours of the wattle.

During the First World War the wattle took on more meaning than just patriotism. It came to represent home to those serving overseas, with soldiers sent wattle sprigs while away serving in the war. Wattle also became a way to remember loved ones who were serving. Wattle sprigs and badges featuring stylised wattle were sold to raise money in support of the war effort and were worn in memory of those who had died and those still serving.

Greer Townshend: Here I Came to the Very Edge

Greer Townshend is a Brisbane-based artist whose paper sculptures often refer to notions of fragility and memory. In her works, Greer employs drawing techniques, origami (paper-folding), and kirigami (paper-cutting) to craft miniature interior worlds illuminated by soft light. Greer’s artworks often tell a story, but also evoke memories and explore layers of the subconscious.

Throughout her 2017 Q ANZAC 100 Fellowship at the State Library of Queensland, Greer researched the experience of soldiers and servicepeople during the First World War. Accessing photographs, letters and diaries from the library archive offered Greer deeper insight into the lives of Queensland soldiers, reverends and other wartime workers. Greer continues to translate these stories into her artworks today. Her works encourage us to remember and reflect upon the profound effect of war on soldiers and servicepeople.

Private Herbert Mallyon (Forest) 2020

This artwork by Greer Townshend depicts Private Herbert Mallyon, a young stretcher-bearer from Springsure, Queensland, who was stationed in France during the First World War. Access to Private Mallyon’s personal diaries through the State Library of Queensland allowed Greer insight into his wartime experiences, including the Battle of Deville Wood at the Somme, France in 1916, the event upon which this artwork is based. Describing this battle, Private Mallyon wrote:

Deville Wood where the fierce battle was fought sometime previous has been a death trap for both the enemy and ourselves. Bodies stay lay there unburied in great numbers. It is a horrible sight. The wood itself is nothing but a mass of charred broken timber.

Greer was moved by Private Mallyon’s account, and was interested in the consistent reference to the destruction of nature throughout his diaries. As an archetypal image, the forest represents the unconscious, and conjures up the “hero’s journey”, as well as folklore involving magic, danger and immortality. In Private Mallyon’s case, it also refers to the lush forests surrounding his hometown—in stark contrast to the destruction he saw at war. Private Mallyon died in action in 1917, while serving on the Ypres Front in Belgium. His comrades from the 15th Australian Field Ambulance wrote to his mother expressing their grief:

Each one of us looked upon him as a tower of strength during the whole of his active service & it is not surprising that his loss is so deeply felt among us.

View  the primary documents Greer used to develop this artwork in State Library of Queensland’s catalogue.

You might also like

2024 First Look

• info@museumofbrisbane.com.au

Connect with us

Opening hours, sign-up to stay up to date with museum of brisbane's news, events, exhibitions and tours..

• First Name *
• Last Name *
• Your Birthday Day Month Year
• State State QLD NSW ACT VIC SA WA NT INTERNATIONAL
• Brisbane History
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts and Cultures
• Design and Fashion
• Children and Families
• Giving and MoB Membership
• Terms & Conditions
• What’s On @ MoB
• MoB Kids Events
• Plan your visit
• Group Visits
• Watch & Listen
• Programs & Initiatives
• Partnerships
• info@museumofbrisbane.com.au

THE WAR ON DRUGS NEWSLETTER

Handsome Tours

Join our mailing list.

• UPCOMING TOURS

THE WAR ON DRUGS

East coast tour december 2014.

It’s only taken a few years in Australia for Philadelphia-based outfit The War On Drugs to morph from “that band with the vaguely ironic name that Kurt Vile used to play in” to one of the hottest indie rock propositions on the planet in their own right. The War On Drugs are returning to Australia to play three intimate Meredith Sideshows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney this December.

Supported by Triple R, fbi, Noisey, The Music and Spotify.

MELBOURNE 8th DEC: Doors 8pm | Twerps 8.30pm | The War On Drugs 9.30pm

BRISBANE 10th DEC: Doors 7.30 pm | Ali Barter 8pm | The War On Drugs 9.15pm

MELBOURNE 11th DEC: Doors 7.30pm | Twerps 8.30 pm | The War On Drugs 9.45pm

SYDNEY 13th DEC: Doors 7.00pm | Ali Barter 8.00pm | The War On Drugs 9.20pm

SYDNEY 15th DEC: Doors 7.00pm | Ali Barter 8.00pm | The War On Drugs 9.20pm

MELBOURNE 16th DEC: Doors 8pm | Twerps 8.30pm | The War On Drugs 9.30pm

More info on The War On Drugs .

Filed under: THE WAR ON DRUGS