Ballarat Avenue of Honour and Arch Victory Precinct
Arch of Victory
The Arch of Victory, one of Ballarat’s most iconic structures, stands at the entrance to Australia’s longest commemorative World War 1 Avenue of Honour.
The foundation stone of the Arch was laid by General Sir William Birdwood. The Arch was completed in four months, utilising 70,000 locally made Selkirk bricks, and officially opened by HRH Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales, on June 2nd 1920.
Memorial Wall and Rotunda
Adjacent to the Arch of Victory, are the Memorial Wall and Rotunda, both list the service-men and women who are commemorated in the twenty-two kilometres long Avenue of Honour.
The Rotunda’s central pedestal provides an alphabetical listing of those commemorated in the Avenue of Honour along with their plaque number.
Standing between the Rotunda and the Arch is the Memorial Wall which lists those commemorated in plaque order. The Memorial Wall is frequently the site of commemorative services in the precinct.
Garden of the Grieving Mother
The Garden of the Grieving Mother is adjacent to the iconic Arch of Victory. The garden, with its central statue of a grieving mother clutching the photo of her lost son, is an area of quiet reflection that balances the triumphal monuments which dominate the Avenue of Honour, by encouraging contemplation of the impact of war on the families of those citizens whose service and loss it commemorates.
The Grieving Mother statue was created by Peter Corlett OAM, one of Australia’s pre-eminent commemorative sculptors.
The grieving mother represents every Ballarat or Australian mother who has ever lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. She also represents the wider families, the fathers, brothers, and sisters, who were left grieving the loss of a loved son, brother, or sister.
Avenue of Honour
The Avenue of Honour comprises memorial trees, accompanied by plaques, which carry the names of 3801 World War 1 service personnel who enlisted as residents of Ballarat and district.
Of the 3801 servicemen and women commemorated in the Ballarat Avenue of Honour, 757 soldiers and two nurses made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives.
Avenue of Honour Overpass
The Avenue of Honour overpass is a unique structure that links the northern end of the Avenue. With the support of the Arch of Victory/Avenue of Honour Committee, the City of Ballarat, Heritage Victoria, and VicRoads, the memorial and historical integrity of the Avenue has been maintained.
The Memorial Cairn
Originally built by the Ballarat and District Soldiers’ Fathers Association in 1936, the cairn was a way to commemorate their sons.
A cross is mounted on the stone cairn, and a plaque which carries the inscription:
“They buckled their belts about them, they crossed in ships the sea, they fought and found six feet of ground and died for you and me”.
A tribute from a proud mother in 1959, in memory of Mrs Matilda Louise (Tilly) Thompson, who initiated plans for the Avenue of Honour in 1917.
Location
1701 Sturt Street, Alfredton 3350 View Map
Web Links
→ honouringouranzacs.com.au
→ Ballarat Avenue of Honour on Facebook
