Military museums and sites in Australia

Many Australians have an interest in military history, and there are many military museums and preserved historic sites scattered around the country. While few of the sites of the fighting between European settlers and Indigenous Australians have been marked, much less preserved, there are still a number of former fortifications and airfields.

Understand
The only large scale war to have taken place in Australia was the fighting between Indigenous Australians and European settlers which began shortly after white settlement in 1788 and continued until the early 1930s. While over 20,000 Indigenous Australians and between 2,000 and 2,500 settlers are estimated to have been killed, there are very few monuments or memorials to the frontier wars, and no battle sites have been preserved. A team of academics is developing an online map of locations where battles and massacres occurred which may be helpful for visiting these sites.

During the colonial era (1788-1901) barracks and coastal fortifications were established around the colonial capital cities. Britain stationed forces in Australia until the country achieved full self-governance in 1901, though it ceased deploying land forces to the continent in 1870. However, the Australian military continued to be deployed around the world as part of the British forces in its various wars, and any declaration of war by Britain was also taken to imply that Australia was also at war.

There was virtually no fighting in and little near Australia during World War I, but camps were established to train the men of the Australian Imperial Force before they were deployed overseas. Approximately 60,000 Australian soldiers were killed in the war, and small - and often very moving - memorials were established commemorating them in most towns and suburbs as well as in some churches, schools and workplaces. Larger memorials were also established in the centre of the state capital cities. These memorials have often been used to commemorate casualties of subsequent wars.

World War II
Australia's defences were improved in the lead up to World War II, with new coastal defences and strategic airstrips being established. Following the rapid Japanese victories in 1941 and 1942 the Australian Government and many Australians feared that the country faced invasion (though the Japanese had no such plans), and these defences were further improved. As the war turned in the favour of the Allies a network of airfields and major Army bases was established in Queensland and the Northern Territory to support the Allied counter-offensive in the Pacific. Many of these airfields were later developed into Australia's post-war network of airports, while others were abandoned; in some circumstances their remains can be visited, though are unlikely to be of much interest.

Post-war history
In the years after World War II most of the airfields and virtually all of the coastal fortifications were abandoned by the military. The focus of the Australian military shifted more strongly to expeditionary warfare during the Cold War period, with the country being involved in the Korean War, Malaysian Emergency and Vietnam War. The Vietnam War was the largest of these conflicts, and is commemorated through a number of museums and memorials. The other conflicts have attracted far less attention.

Since 1947, Australian forces have served around the world as part of peacekeeping missions. The Australian Defence Force has also seen combat in the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria since 2001. The modern Australian Defence Force operates from bases which are generally in or near major cities. Few of these facilities are open to the public, but some have small museums on their outskirts which can be visited.

The Australian War Memorial, in Canberra, is Australia's main military history museum, and also serves as a memorial to the men and women killed during wars and peacekeeping deployments. The Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force maintain a central museum, as well as a network of smaller museums. The Army does not have a central museum, but operates a network of specialised museums spread across Australia. There are also a large number of government and independently-run military history museums. Most towns and the older suburbs of the large cities have a small war memorial which lists the names of the locals killed in war: these serve as the focal points of the ANZAC Day dawn services on April 25 each year; these are listed on the Monument Australia website. Some of the former coastal fortifications and barracks have been opened to the public.

ANZAC day
25 April 1915 marked the beginning of the Battle of Gallipoli, as the Allied forces attacked Gallipoli, western Turkey, in an attempt to attack Constantinople and gain control over the Dardanelles. One of the units on the Allied side was the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) comprising about 65,000 men. This was the first significant campaign to involve large Australian and New Zealand forces.

Ever since, the Anzac Day has been commemorated on 25 April in Australia and New Zealand a national holiday with dawn services (the landing at Gallipoli took place at dawn) at military memorials and parades. Commemorations are also held in many locations around the world with significant populations of Australians and New Zealanders. The gambling game two-up, popular among Australian soldiers during World War I, is legal at pubs around Australia only on Anzac Day. Anzac biscuits, popular with soldiers on the battlefield as well as in Australia at that time are eaten, and some opt for a "gunfire breakfast"; black coffee with added rum.

Prepare
A huge number of books have been written on Australia's military history. Jeffrey Grey's A Military History of Australia is a well-regarded overview, and The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History is invaluable. Chris Coulthard-Clark's book The Encyclopedia of Australia's Battles provides useful summaries of the main battles Australian forces have been involved in, and includes the main engagements which were fought during the frontier wars. Sacred Places : War Memorials in the Australian Landscape by Ken Inglis discusses the establishment of these monuments and how attitudes to them have changed over time.

There are also many books and websites on individual historic sites within Australia. Local histories often discuss the region's experiences during the world wars, and many of the towns in northern Australia have been the subject of books on their experience of the Second World War. While many of these works are self-published by amateur historians, the general quality is good. Virtually all military museums maintain a website.

Australian Capital Territory

 * Museums


 * Other sites

Brisbane region

 * Museums
 * Other sites
 * Other sites
 * Other sites
 * Other sites

Respect
While Australians are generally relaxed about their history and many acknowledge its more unsavoury aspects, some people may react badly to criticism of the military or individual soldiers (especially suggestions that Australia did not pull its weight in a battle or war, or that soldiers displayed cowardice or committed atrocities). Strong criticism of the military on Anzac Day is widely regarded as being offensive. The Australian military is an apolitical institution, and it is generally considered inappropriate to make political demonstrations at military-focused events or involving war memorials. Additionally, saying the military is bad or even just talking about the military in public may be offensive to small minorities of people. Australian service people and veterans generally don't expect adulation, and some don't acknowledge having served in the military.

Stay safe


It is illegal to take photographs of active Australian Defence Force bases and other "prohibited" areas. However, this does not seem to be enforced for facilities which are open to the public or can be viewed from public land (for instance, much of the Royal Australian Navy's main base in Sydney can be overlooked from parkland and ferries), or at open days. If signs are displayed prohibiting photography or guards advise you to not take photos, you must put the camera away. Even bringing a camera onto "prohibited" areas can lead to prosecution.

Due to security requirements, visitors to most of the military museums on active Australian Defence Force bases are required to show photo ID to gain entry. You may also need to book a visit and be escorted to and from the museum. The websites of these museums explain the access requirements, and should be consulted before visiting.

Go next
Australians often visit the battlefields where Australian military forces fought overseas.

The main areas visited are Gallipoli in Turkey and the former Western Front in France, and many people also visit the Australian battlefields in Vietnam and some locations where Australians were held prisoner in Thailand and Singapore. Most of these areas can be easily visited by independent travellers, and specialised tours are also available. Trekking the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea is popular, but is not to be undertaken lightly. The other Australian battlefields in Asia are rarely visited, and many of the battlefields in North Africa and the Middle East are in countries which are suffering from political instability or civil war. The historian Peter Stanley's book A Stout Pair of Boots provides useful advice on visiting Australian battlefields overseas, and there are many specialised guides to the battlefields in France, Gallipoli and along the Kokoda Track.

New Zealand has a similar range of military museums to those in Australia, and some sites relating to the Colonial-era New Zealand Wars have been preserved.