Your dusk to dawn guide on how to spend your ANZAC Day in Canberra
By Minh Thu Pham Tran
25 April marks the landing of the Anzac troops in Gallipoli in 1915 and it means another public holiday is coming, just right after the Easter long weekend. It is safe to say 2019 has been a good year so far!
If you still haven’t got any plan for this day or just want to escape from those dreadful assignments for a little while, you are in luck. Here is your dawn to dusk guide on how to spend Anzac Day in the nation’s capital.
4.30 am – Attend the Anzac Day Canberra Dawn Service
A fundamental part of any Anzac Day celebration is the dawn service. And if you want to experience Anzac Day like a true Canberran, attending the sawn service at the Australian War Memorial is a must.
The dawn service begins at 5.30 am and this year’s dawn service commemorative address will be delivered by Corporal Mark Donaldson VC. It is reported to expect tens-of-thousands attendees.
Transport Canberra is offering free public transport to the dawn service, so you can get there without any fuss. You can pre-register to secure your seats now via their website. The pick-up locations for the service include Gungahlin bust station, Westfield Belconnen, Woden bus station and Tuggeranong bus station.
10 am: Spend a morning at the Australian War Memorial
After attending the dawn service, why not spend your morning at the Australian War Memorial? You’re already there anyway.
Recognised as one of the must-visit spots in Canberra, the Australian War Memorial is a world-class museum, a shrine and an extensive archive all-in-one place. You can discover the diverse Australian experiences of war and connect with the stories of people and events that shape our nation.
Free public tours are available daily. You can check out their schedules via its website.
1 pm: Get lost in Love & Desire at the NGA
Let’s wind down and enter a stunning world of Love & Desire, and experience all things romance at the National Gallery of Australia, before they bid their farewell to Canberra by the end of this week.
The exhibition features 40 of the Tate’s most famous and best-loved works. You can immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of brilliant colour, meticulous detail and exquisite painting layering in paintings inspired by the great love stories of history and literature. Admire and fall in love masterpieces like John Everett Millais’ Ophelia, William Holman Hunt’s The Awakening conscience and John William Waterhouse’s The Lady of Shalott.
6 pm: Hit the big screen
Well, you may already know but here is a little reminder –Avengers: Endgame is here!
And what’s a better way to end your day off with one of the most anticipating blockbusters of 2019. As our superheroes would say “Let’s finish this, whatever it takes!”.
Avengers: Endgame is now showing at local cinemas in Canberra.