Thousands gather before dawn to commemorate Anzac Day

Thousands of Australians have gathered before first light to commemorate the solemn occasion of Anzac Day.

From capital city cenotaphs to local memorials, thousands have braved the cold to honour the memory of all Australians who have served their country at home and abroad.

The dawn service at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra began at 5.30am after earlier services across the nation got underway.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a dawn service in Papua New Guinea with members of the Australian and PNG Defence Forces. (Nine)In Sydney, the traditional dawn service will be held at the Cenotaph in Martin Place at 4.20am (pictured), with a march through the CBD to follow at 9am. (9News)The Anzac Day dawn service at Smithfield in western Sydney. (Nine)

Wreaths were laid by Governor-General David Hurley before the Anzac Day dawn service address was delivered by the Vice-Chief of the Defence Force, Vice-Admiral David Johnston.

The traditional sounding of the Last Post was sounded before a minute's silence and the Reveille.

Earlier, across the country crowds composed of young and old people braved chilly weather to attend the sacred event.

In Sydney, the traditional dawn service was held at the Cenotaph in Martin Place from 4.20am, with a march through the CBD to follow at 9am.

In Melbourne, the largest dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance started at 5.30am, with the march to begin from 8.30am. Last year 40,000 people attended the event and organisers are expecting similar numbers today.

Brisbane's dawn service at Anzac Square began at 4.28am.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who is visiting Papua New Guinea attended a dawn service near the village of Isurava after he completed a walk of the Kokoda Track.

A veteran at the Anzac Day dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. (Joe Armao/The Age)The Anzac Day dawn service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne saw a big turnout. (Joe Armao/The Age)

Often regarded as the most solemn day on the Australian calendar, Anzac Day is commemorated on April 25 each year.

It honours the memory of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who formed part of the allied expedition that landed at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915.

Approximately 16,000 soldiers - who became colloquially known as "Anzacs" - immediately faced opposition.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles at Brisbane's dawn service ceremony (9News)The eternal flame in Melbourne at the Shrine of Remembrance. The Melbourne dawn service is one of the biggest held on Anzac Day. (9News)

The beach they landed on was fenced by high, heavily fortified cliffs that were fiercely defended by Ottoman Turkish defenders.

Any push forward to claim the peninsula would have to be done by near-vertical climbs under heavy fire.

On the first night, it was estimated more than 2000 men were killed.

Troops in the trenches at Gallipoli. (Australian War Memorial/The Age)The final troops are evacuated from Gallipoli on January 9, 1916. (Imperial War Museum)

By the end of the Anzac campaign, which endured eight months of fighting, over 8000 Australian soldiers were killed.

Despite the stalemate between Turkish and Allied forces on the cliffs of Gallipoli, it was the spirit of the men who fought there, along with their ingenuity, endurance and bravery that formed the basis of the Anzac legend.

Today Anzac Day serves to help Australians commemorate all past and living veterans, as well as honouring the sacrifice of current serving Defence Force members.

Members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) march during an Anzac Day parade. (Getty)

Mateship and sacrifice honoured during dawn service

Dawn services, which typically include songs, the laying of wreaths, a playing of the Last Post and a minute's silence, are held across the country.

Beginning before the sun has started to rise, dawn services are held to commemorate the same time the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli, while also honouring military tradition of "standing to" at dawn in preparation for early morning raids.

Many dawn services are followed by a march through the community or a "gunfire breakfast" at the local RSL, which typically consists of bacon and eggs and coffee or tea with a shot of rum.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles made a heartfelt speech from the Gallipoli Dawn Service about the mateship and sacrifice of the Anzacs.

"The spirit of Anzac is selfless. It is about the other. It is about being there for each other. It is the levelling, the fair, the unbreakable and precious bond which all of us share as Australians," Marles said.

"Almost 9000 Australians lost their lives here at Gallipoli, 60,000 across the entirety of World War I, more than 150,000 were injured.

"So early on in the life of our Commonwealth, this was a scar which has rippled across the ages and down through the generations in so many ways and that, too, forms part of the spirit of Anzac.

"And this profound sacrifice asked a sharp question: What was it all for?

"As the years have passed, the answer lies less in the outcomes of the First World War and much more in the revelation of the spirit of Anzac.

"When the first two charges had gone so terribly wrong...in this moment, men...were clambering to get to the front. They were seeking to be a part of it.

"Because, for those men, how could it be that a fate for some was not a fate for all.

"How could you allow a mate to jump out of that trench and not be there right beside him?

"Because this moment was not about the Turks. It was about them...about us."

< Back to 68k.news AU front page