Military & Heritage

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Take a unique journey through The Great War in the Gallipoli to Armistice memorial in Maryborough, Queensland.

A Bronze statue of Maryborough man and first Anzac ashore Lt Duncan Chapman stands in front of an 8-metre steel representation of the cliffs of Gallipoli.

Chapman became the first Anzac when he stepped ashore from a rowed boat near dawn on April 25, 1915.  Footsteps from the statue lead to a scale model of the bow of that boat, shaped from ironbark.

Continue the Military trail to the Maryborough Military and Colonial Museum. The museum, with more than 10,000 artefacts, is the best facility outside of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra as a place to connect with the nation’s military past.

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Fraser Coast Military Trail

Explore over 20 points of interest across the Fraser Coast region that tell the stories of the brave men and women who went to war and how they are connected to our region. The wreck of the former hospital ship Maheno and remnants of the Z Special Unit training camp on Fraser Island, a rare memorial bridge at Brooweena and a dramatic life-size statue of an Australian light horseman in Hervey Bay are among more than 20 stops.

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Maryborough Military & Colonial Museum

While discovering the military past behind the Fraser Coast region, the Maryborough Military & Colonial Museum is a must visit. The museum houses the largest collection of war memorabilia outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

You’ll find 7,000 items of memorabilia including two of the most historically significant medals groups to the Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War fromn 1964 – 1973.

The museum is part of the larger Fraser Coast Military Trail and is within walking distance from the Galipolli to Armistice Memorial in Queens Park.

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Maryborough Military & Colonial Museum

While discovering the military past behind the Fraser Coast region, the Maryborough Military & Colonial Museum is a must visit. The museum houses the largest collection of war memorabilia outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

You’ll find 7,000 items of memorabilia including two of the most historically significant medals groups to the Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War fromn 1964 – 1973.

The museum is part of the larger Fraser Coast Military Trail and is within walking distance from the Galipolli to Armistice Memorial in Queens Park.

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Fraser Island's Military Past

Fraser Island (K’gari) has a deep connection to past military efforts and lots of stories to be explored. The island was home to the Fraser Commando School from 1943 – 1945 where Australia’s Special Operations Programme trained over 900 personnel, known as the Z Special Unit, to ensure they were ready for war. The site is located on the western side of the Island, about 1.6 kilometers south of Kingfisher Bay. Over on the eastern side of the island, you’ll find the wreck of the SS Maheno. The Maheno was driven ashore just north of Happy Valley during a cyclone in 1935. Acting as a hospital ship in World War I, the wreck was also used for bombing practice for World War II by Z Special Unit commandos and the Royal Australian Air Force. 

Military Stories from the Blog