Monuments of Australia

The Australian War Memorial is a monument situated in Canberra, Australia. The Monument is used to memorialise the armed forces and partner organisations who served in the World Wars. It was opened 1941 by the Prime Minister at the time, John Curtin, championed by C.E.W. Bean.[3] This Australian Memorial serves as a reminder to the Australian public of their countries service during the World Wars, making it a monument directed at the Australian identity and pride.[4] The Monument holds many important features, such as the Remembrance driveway, Anzac parade, Commemorative Area, Memorial Building, Sculpture Garden and more, all of which hold different significant value to the memorial.

Australian War Memorial, Canberra, NSW, Australia[5]

Located in Sydney, Australia, the Sydney Opera House is a performance building known for its architecture and role within the performing arts community within Australia.[6] The building is considered one of the biggest attractions within the country,[7] and is listed on the world heritage site as a “masterpiece of 20th Century architecture.” [8] The building was opened on the 20th of October 1973, and is attended by roughly 1.2 Million people per year.

The Shrine of Remembrance is located within Victoria, Australia, and is one of the biggest memorial sites within the country. Construction finished on the 11th of November 1934, and since completion the site has been used as the place for observance days, including ANZAC Day and Remembrance day.[9] The memorial main function is to pay respect to the men and women who served within the world wars, specifically World War 1, and is a place of education, as well as serving a purpose of being somewhere in which the Australian Public within Victoria is reminded of their service.[10]

Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia[11]

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is one of Australia’s most well recognised monuments, with over 10 Million people visiting the site a year.[12] The Bridge finished construction and subsequently opened in 1932,[13] and on the 19th of March 2007 was added onto the Australian National Heritage Listing.[14] The Bridge serves as one of the main roads into the central part of the city, as well as being a large tourist attraction, with features such as The Bridge Climb.

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, NSW, Australia[15]

Uluru is a sandstone rock formation that is located in the Northern Territory of Australia, with its closest large settlement being Alice Springs 450 km away. The formation is a protected world heritage site[16] and is an important sacred site to the Indigenous Peoples of the area, the Pitjantjatjara. The site has been a large tourist attraction to the public since the 1930’s, garnering over 250,000 visitors a year[17] and the land and the surrounding area is also known for its large amounts of agriculture, harbouring exotic flora and fauna.[18]

Uluru (Ayers Rock), NT, Australia[19]

Parliament House is located in Canberra, Australia, and it is the location that the Australian government convene for parliamentary matters. The building completed its construction on the 26th of January 1988, and was opened on the 9th of May 1988 by Queen Elizabeth.[20] The building is significant due to its use by the federal government as an area of meeting for the Australian parliament, and the building contains many rooms significant to the workings of the Australian government, such as the Senate and the House of representatives, all of which is designed to be welcoming to visitors as a staple of the Australian way of life.[21]   

Parliament House, Canberra, NSW, Australia[22]

Also known as the Sydney Tower, the Centre Point tower is located in the CBD of Sydney. The tower is known for being the tallest building in Sydney, as well as being the second tallest observation tower in the southern hemisphere.[23] The tower began construction in 1975, and became open to public use in 1981 and since then has been involved in many important cultural events, including the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, and as such stands as an important monumental feature to the Australian people.

Centre Point Tower (Sydney Tower), Sydney, NSW, Australia[24]

The Port Arthur site is a convict settlement located 97 km below Hobart in Tasmania, Australia. The site serves as a historical reminder of British settlement within Australia, and is considered one of Australia’s oldest continuous tourist attraction due to its historical significance.[25] Some of the features of the complex involves mostly the buildings on the site, all of which hold significance to the story of the Australian convict, including the asylum, the commanders house, the hospital, the military compound and more.[26] This site is a monument to the Australian people as it serves as a reminder of the history that surrounds the settlement and establishment of Australia.

Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia[27]

The Great Barrier Reef is a large expanse of coral reef lifeforms and animals located off the coast of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is the largest known reef system in the world, spreading over 344,400 square kilometres, being visible from space.[28] It is one of the seven wonders of the world and is listed as a world heritage site as of 1981.[29][30] It has considerable importance to local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, holding cultural significance that dates back 40,000 years.

Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Queensland, Australia[31]

The Blue Mountains is a series of Mountains situated in the Western part of NSW, boarding on the Greater Region of Sydney.[32] The range is a smaller part of a much larger series of mountains known as the Great Dividing Range, which defines a large part of the Eastern Coast of Australia. The Blue mountains have been significant in Aboriginal History, with two main peoples being located within the region, the Gundungurra people in the northern part and the Darug people in the southern. It was listed as a world heritage area in 2000, with roughly 10,000 square miles being listed.[33]

Three Sister, Blue Mountains, Syndey, NSW, Australia[34]

Located in Sydney, NSW, Bondi Beach is a popular tourist attraction spanning 1 km of Eastern Sydney.[35] The location is an important part of Australian culture, holding significance in sport (such as the city to surf race) as well as entertainment (such as Bondi Rescue). The area was originally occupied by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, demonstrated through the recordings of rock carvings and paintings,[36] but today serves as one of the largest tourist attractions in the country, with over 2.7 million people visiting in 2016.[37]

Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia[38]

The Daintree Rainforest is located in Queensland, Australia, and is the largest rainforest within Australia, spanning roughly 12,000 Square Kilometres.[39] The rainforest was placed on the world heritage list in 1998,[40] and hosts more than 400,000 visitors a year, serving as one of the largest tourist attractions in the Northern part of Australia. The rainforest dates back nearly 180,000 Millions years making it one of the oldest rainforests in the world, and it holds a variety of important plant, animal life and ecosystems unique to Australia.[41]

Daintree Rainforest, Queensland, Australia[42]

The Kakadu National Park is located in the Northern Territory of Australia, covering nearly 20,000 square kilometres of land.[43] The land holds significant flora and fauna, holding nearly 2000 species of flora,[44] and thousands of different species of fauna within the area.[45] It is also important due to the local indigenous population, whose culture is heavily invested in the natural features of the park believed to have been living in the area for over nearly 40,000 years, which can be viewed through the abundance of rock art in the national park. Furthermore, the area is heavily involved in the exploration and discovery of the country, as well as in the mineral industry of Australia.

Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia[46]

Sovereign Hill is an open site set to imitate the local area during and after the initial Gold Rush that overtook Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in mid 1800's. Open since 1970, the site spans across almost 15 hectares of land, and many facilities are included in the complex; such as bars, cafe's and museums.[40] The complex routinely participates in real-life re-enactments of everyday life for those who lived in the era,[39] and as such over 200,000 people visit the site every year.[41]

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia[47]

• Culture of Australia

• Monument Australia - information on public monuments and memorials in Australia