Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance

7 May 2019 

A sunny day was forecasted for our second day in Melbourne. This was ideal weather for a visit to Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria located next to it.

The Shrine of Remembrance is Victorian state memorial to Australians who have served the country in armed conflicts and peace keeping operations. Built between 1928 and 1934, it was originally to honour the 114,000 Victorians who served in the First World War (1914 to 1918). The Shrine now commemorates all Victorians who have and continue to serve, in the defence of Australia.

We took the tram to the Shrine of Remembrance, alighting at the tram stop along Saint Kilda Road. We followed a path up the slope towards a pyramidal shaped structure whose design was inspired by one of the seven wonders of the ancient world – the tomb of King Mausolus at Halicarnassus.

A flock of white cockatoos was grazing on the grass of the green lawn by the side of the path while the clear blue sky shone above us. The birds were quite tame, continuing to feed while we took photos.

Little Corella, also known as the bare-eyed cockatoo, feeding on grass seeds.

The first place we visited at the Shrine was the Second World War Forecourt with 3 flagpoles, Cenotaph and the Eternal Flame.

The top of the WW2 Cenotaph featured a stone sculpture of a group of soldiers, carrying their fallen comrade.

In front of the Cenotaph is the Eternal Flame. It was quite touching to see a group of students standing around the Eternal Flame, heads bowed in silent prayers. 

View of the Shrine from the Second World War Forecourt.

We walked up the flight of steps and entered into the heart of the Shrine, known as the Sanctuary. Later, we found that we should have entered through the visitor centre located at ground level where we could first watched an introductory video of the Shrine. 

The Sanctuary is the heart of the Shrine, where thousands come to pay their respects to the fallen.

 

The Stone of Remembrance is in the centre of the Sanctuary, sunk below the floor where visitors must bow their heads to read the inscriptions “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN” on the symbolic gravestone. 

Above the stone is a pyramidal roof with a skylight in the centre. The First World War ended at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. The position of the skylight is such that at exactly 11 AM, on 11 November (Remembrance Day), a ray of sunlight would fall directly on the word LOVE on the Stone of Remembrance.

Surrounding the Sanctuary, there are 42 caskets containing the Books of Remembrance. These books list the names of all Victorians who served overseas during the First World War. The names are listed without rank, in alphabetical order.

One of the books listing the names of all Victorians who served overseas during the First World War.

We took a flight of stairs down to the lower floor where we met an elderly war veteran, dressed smartly in uniform. He invited us to follow the arrows marked on the floor to view the Galleries and then the Crypt.

If only I could spare a few hours to browse through all the interesting exhibits and read stories of Victorians engaged in overseas conflict from 1880 to present day. We had a few other activities planned for the day, so we took a quick look through the exhibits.

A few exhibits caught my attention. One was the Changi flag. After the fall of Singapore in February 1942, a group of Australians hid this flag for 3 and half years in the Changi Prisoner of War (POW) Camp to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands. It was interesting to read the story of how the flag was a symbol of stoic determination of the POWs and its usage in burials and other ceremonies during those times.

The Changi flag with signatures of 16 Australian servicemen who was inmates in the POW camp before being send to work on the Railway of Death in Burma.

The Gallery of Medals was also interesting for me. 4000 service medals were displayed, each one representing 100 Victorians who has served in war and peacekeeping operations and 6 who have lost their lives.



The centre of the Crypt has a bronze statue of a father and son, representing two generations of soldiers who fought the First and Second World Wars.

Father and Son Statue in the Crypt, surrounded by regimental colours.

The regimental colours and series of bronze panels represent the navy and army units that took part in World War I.

After viewing the Sanctuary, Galleries and Crypt, we went to the Visitor Centre where I watched the introductory video that explores the creation and design of the Shrine and its role.

After viewing the interior, we took a walk round the exterior of the Shrine.

Entrance courtyard to the Visitor Centre.

The East Wall.

The Student Entry Courtyard with a canopy of red poppy flower. The poppy flower is the first flower to grow in the churned-up earth of soldiers' graves during WW1.

Just outside the entrance of the Visitor Centre is the Gallipoli Memorial Gardens. We saw the Man with the Donkey statue. This statue honours a heroic stretcher-bearer and his donkey that saved many wounded soldiers during the Gallipoli campaign, often exposing himself to fire. He was killed in action.

Further down was a statue of a British soldier, on guard with a rifle and bayonet fixed.

Although my original plan was to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, I am glad we spent some time at the Shrine. I am impressed by this fantastic and dignified monument to those who have fought, suffered and perished in service to the country.

The entrance to the Royal Botanic Gardens could be seen in the background.

The Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria is just across the road (Birdwood Avenue) from the Shrine. That is the next place we visited on our second day in Melbourne city.