Remembering the Past with the Future

Drawing on the incredible Australian archive collection, the story of Australia’s involvement on the Western Front battlefields during the First World War is told directly from the personal diaries, letters and service records of the men and women who were there.

This amazing insight into the events that helped shape a nation is delivered through a highly intuitive, interactive system that combines the latest in large scale interactive touch screens and tables with a specially designed ‘app’.

At the heart of the Centre lies a 360 degree theatre that puts the visitor right into the battles of Villers-Bretonneux and Le Hamel—to experience the Western Front as never before.

Origins

Commissioned in 2006, the Sir John Monash Centre is designed to educate a new audience about Australia’s early role in international affairs, and to share the stories of ordinary Australians doing extraordinary things on the battlefields of the Western Front.

The Centre is named after General Sir John Monash, who led the Australian Corps with outstanding success on the Western Front in 1918. His success in the famous victory at Le Hamel became a template for military operations that followed.

The Sir John Monash Centre establishes a lasting legacy from Australia’s Centenary of Anzac 2014-2018.