Warrnambool Memorials Walking Trail

A journey of honour through our city’s memorials

Warrnambool Memorials Walking Trail Map

01

FLAGSTAFF HILL
High on this headland, Warrnambool’s first flagstaff once guided ships into the busy harbour. In 1859, a lighthouse and keeper’s house were built on Middle Island but soon moved here, where the light could shine more reliably. Two 80-pound cannons, set in the 1880s, still stand guard and on special days thunder again thanks to uniformed re-enactors. Today, the lighthouse, battery and recreated port village form Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum - a place where shipwreck stories and 19th-century port life come vividly to life.

02

CANNON HILL
This commanding rise once bristled with Warrnambool’s original coastal defence cannons. Now it offers sweeping views of Lady Bay, crowned by a striking white stone cross - a replica Portuguese Padrao. It recalls the legend of the Mahogany Ship, said to have been glimpsed in the dunes in the 1830s and believed to be a centuries-old wreck. Busts of Portuguese explorers Prince Henry the Navigator and Vasco da Gama watch over the site. Below lies Lake Pertobe, transformed from swamp to parkland in the 1970s. Today it’s a haven for birdlife and one of the region’s favourite playgrounds.

03

GORDON OF KHARTOUM
This stone plinth once carried a towering obelisk honouring General Charles Gordon, killed at Khartoum in 1885. Gordon’s courage made him a hero across the Empire, with streets, monuments and even local boats named after him. In 1903, two earthquakes shook Warrnambool and weakened the structure, forcing the removal of the obelisk. What remains is a fragment of a once-grand memorial, alongside a marker celebrating Warrnambool’s 150th anniversary in 1997.

04

INDIGENOUS MEMORIAL
Set on Gunditjmara Country, this stone was placed in 2010 to honour Aboriginal men and women from south-west Victoria who served their country. It was the first memorial of its kind in regional Victoria. Among those remembered are William Rawlings, awarded the Military Medal in WWI, and Reg Saunders, who rose to become the first Indigenous officer in the Australian Army and later fought in Korea. Twenty-one members of the Lovett family also served across multiple conflicts, earning the Gunditjmara the title of “fighting people”.

05

VIETNAM MEMORIAL
Encircled by rosemary for remembrance, this site honours Australians who served in Vietnam, Korea, Malaya, Borneo and on peacekeeping missions. Between 1962 and 1975, 60,000 Australians went to Vietnam; more than 500 never came home and 3,000 were wounded. Plaques here recall the fierce Battle of Long Tan, fought on 18 August 1966 - a date now solemnly marked as Vietnam Veterans Day.

06

HMAS WARRNAMBOOL / LADY BAY
Warrnambool’s name has graced two naval vessels. The first, a minesweeper launched in 1941, survived the bombing of Darwin before sinking in 1947 during mine-clearing operations, with four crew lost. The second, a patrol boat launched in 1980, patrolled northern waters until its decommissioning in 2005. From here you can gaze across Lady Bay, once one of Victoria’s busiest seaports and the scene of more than 20 shipwrecks. The 1880s breakwater, built from massive concrete blocks, tamed some of the seas but ultimately led to the harbour’s closure in 1942.

07

WWII AND BEYOND
This interactive memorial, unveiled in 2018, honours all who have served from this region since WWII. A touchscreen lets visitors explore service records, images and short films, with more than 9,000 names already recorded. Each evening, the Last Post rings out, followed by the Ode of Remembrance - a daily ritual that stirs reflection across the hill. The surrounding peace rose garden and commemorative plaques invite quiet moments of pause.

08

WWI MEMORIAL
Commanding pride of place at the city’s heart, this striking memorial was unveiled on Anzac Day, 1926. Its angel and soldier statues, carved in Italy, stand over a red granite column and grey Harcourt steps. The octagonal wall bears the names of the fallen in red granite panels. Originally framed by iron gates and pine trees, the memorial now rises within the traffic roundabout, unmissable yet dignified - a constant reminder of the city’s loss and loyalty.

09

RSL BUILDING
Founded in 1917 in a former fire station, Warrnambool’s RSL was one of the earliest in regional Victoria. By 1972, it had moved to this site, later undergoing major renovations and extensions completed in 2016. Inside, the foyer showcases changing displays, including HMAS Warrnambool displays, while the bistro walls hold photographs and artworks that capture the community’s continuing connection to service and remembrance.

10

POLICE MEMORIAL
Unveiled in 2017, this stone commemorates local Victorian police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. Its location is fitting - in 1863, Constable Daniel O’Boyle was feloniously slain (murdered) here while escorting a prisoner. Other names remembered include Sergeant Dobbs, Constable Sharrock, and Constable Brewis, each of whom died while serving their communities. Together, their stories speak of dedication, sacrifice, and the risks borne by those who protect others.

Look for QR codes on the trail poles for extended stories

Location

1 Artillery Crescent, Warrnambool 3280 View Map