National Anzac Centre in Albany named one of the world's top attractions

Respected travel publication Lonely Planet has named the National Anzac Centre in Albany one of the best new travel experiences in the world.

The National Anzac Centre was one of a handful of Australian attractions included on a list of 26 'must-see' new experiences as part of the Lonely Planet e-book New in Travel 2015.

Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington welcomed the recognition from one of the planet's most popular travel publications, stating "the National Anzac Centre has been open for just two-and-a-half months and is already garnering world-wide acclaim.

"The Centre has consistently exceeded visitor targets already, and it is expected that visitor interest will continue to grow."

Mayor Wellington said over 20,000 people had visited the National Anzac Centre since the official opening on 1st November 2014, attracting visitors from all over Australia, New Zealand, as well as far flung places such as Dubai and South Korea.

He added "the launch of the Australia-wide Anzac Centenary (has) resulted in unprecedented media attention for Albany, and this has resulted in renewed interest in Albany as a visitor destination around the world.

National Anzac Centre
The National Anzac Centre was officially opened by Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key and Premier of Western Australia Colin Barnett on 1st November 2014, 100 years to the day since the first convoy departed Albany to the First World War.

The National Anzac Centre is Australia’s foremost museum dedicated solely to honouring the ANZACs of World War One. Set within Albany Heritage Park, Western Australia, the Centre offers visitors a deeply personal connection with the Anzac legend revealed through interactive multimedia displays, unique artefacts, rare images and film, and audio commentary.

Within the Centre, the key phases and events of the First World War are told through the stories of the ANZACs themselves. Through its unique content developed by the Western Australian Museum and the Australian War Memorial, the Centre allows visitors to assume the identity of one of 32 ANZAC-related characters, and follow their personal experience of the Great War: from recruitment, through training and embarkation, ship-board life on the convoys, and on to the conflicts on Gallipoli, in the Middle East and on the Western Front, and post-war, for those who returned.

As the story of conflicts within the Centre draws to a close, the names of the 41,265 servicemen and servicewomen who left Albany in the first and second convoys are revealed: scrolling beneath a Pool of Reflections. The experience concludes with the discovery of each ANZAC character’s fate and a Tribute Wall where visitors may document their own feelings and messages to the ANZACs. These appear within the National Anzac Centre, and are then shared with the world via the internet.

The National Anzac Centre opens at 9am every day of the year, except Christmas Day.

The construction and fitout of the National Anzac Centre was fully funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments. Interpretive content was developed by the Western Australian Museum and the Australian War Memorial. All revenue from entry fees provides for the upkeep and operation of the National Anzac Centre, the Princess Royal Fortress, and other attractions of the Albany Heritage Park.

The National Anzac Centre is located within the Princess Royal Fortress precinct of Albany Heritage Park, close to the centre of Albany.

For more information go to www.nationalanzaccentre.com.au

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