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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Lanie Tindale

War Memorial commemorative forecourt opens to public

The Australian War Memorial has released footage of the new commemorative entrance and forecourt, which opened to the public on Tuesday.

Refurbishments costing $550 million began in 2021.

New galleries will be devoted to Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson said.

"There will be galleries that address the fact that Australians have been deployed in peacekeeping operations every single day since 1947," he said.

"We have assembled a world leading collection of the stories, the artefacts, the objects that tell the story from Gallipoli to Afghanistan and more in one place."

Army veteran and memorial construction coordinator Liam Barbic with his wife sons at the new-look commemorative entrance on Tuesday. Picture supplied

The new entrance features a glass oculus.

Architect Doug Southwell said it is an inversion of the dome of the Australian War Memorial.

"The oculus is about maintaining a visual connection to the existing entrance and also bringing light into the space," he said.

The new Anzac Hall is expected to open in 2026, and the overall project is expected to be complete in 2028.

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