Shrine of Remembrance

Lonely Planet review

Beside St Kilda Rd stands the massive Shrine of Remembrance, built as a memorial to Victorians killed in WWI. Its distinctive design is partly based on the Temple of Halicarnassus, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, and it was built between 1927 and 1934. Visible from the other end of town, planning regulations continue to restrict any building that would obstruct the view of the Shrine from along Swanston St (as far back as Lonsdale St).

Thousands attend the Anzac Day (25 April) dawn service - one of over 120 annual ceremonies hosted at the Shrine. The Remembrance Day service at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month commemorates the time at which the Armistice of 1918 was declared. At this precise moment a shaft of light shines through an opening in the ceiling to illuminate the Stone of Remembrance. The forecourt, with its cenotaph and eternal flame, was built as a memorial to those who died in WWII, and there are several other war memorials that surround the shrine. The Shrine complex is under 24-hour police guard; during opening hours the police are required to wear ye olde uniforms resembling those worn by the light-horsemen during WWI.