Australian War Memorial - the main Australian War Memorial, dedicated to the memory of soldiers who died during the wars. Located in Canberra.

The idea of ​​creating a monument to the Australian soldiers came up, Charles Bean, the Australian historian of the First World War, when he studied the place of military battles in France in 1916. Already in May 1917, it was compiled the first collection of items relating to the military history of Australia, which was first exhibited in Melbourne. The construction of a permanent building for the Memorial was completed in 1941, after the outbreak of World War II. The official opening took place on November 11 - the Day of Remembrance of the victims. Today, Memorial is considered one of the most significant monuments of its kind in the world. It is close to the Parliament building, with balcony offering panoramic view of the monument.

Memorial consists of three parts: a Hall of Memory Mausoleum, which houses the tomb of the unknown Australian soldier, a museum and research center .  Memorial Hall was built in the shape of an octagon, whose four walls - northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast - mosaic tiled images of soldiers, airmen, sailors and female soldiers .  Interestingly, mosaics and stained glass windows created a one-armed Australian artist Napier Waller, who lost an arm during World War I. .  Before the Hall of Remembrance - a narrow courtyard and a small pond in the center - the eternal flame .  Above the courtyard is a long covered gallery with a board of Fame - bronze plates on which are engraved the names of 102 thousand dead Australian soldiers .  Every day, when the memorial is closed in the evening, held a small ceremony, during which the congregation can hear a brief history of its establishment and to listen to military signal verification before dawn evening . 

Many feel a part of the memorial complex area and the Armed Forces of Australia and New Zealand (ANZAC Parade), but it is not. The area is located on the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin and leads to the base of the Memorial. Along each side of the square is a series of sculptures dedicated to the various military campaigns, such as the Vietnam War, or the memory of the Sisters of Mercy. Near the lake there are monumental sculpture in the form of two huge handles on baskets donated by New Zealand. The idea to create sculptures served as saying NZ Maori aborigines, who speaks about the traditional cooperation and closeness between the two countries of the Commonwealth.