War Memorial

In a stately position, overlooking Anzac Pde and Lake Burley Griffin, the magnificent war memorial is one of the finest museums in the country. This genuinely moving memorial provides a fascinating insight into how battle forged Australia’s national identity, with an enormous collection of pictures, dioramas, relics and exhibitions that detail and humanise wartime events. For military-history fans, there’s also plenty of weaponry and uniforms – most of the heavy machinery is arrayed in Anzac Hall, which features an impressive sound-and-light show. Entombed among the mosaics of the Hall of Memory is the Unknown Australian Soldier, whose remains were returned from a WWI battlefield in 1993 and who symbolises all Australian war casualties. Even if you’re not a history buff, the engaging and affecting contents of this massive edifice are sufficient for two full days of exploration.