Anzac Day 2024: Thousands of patriotic Aussies gather for dawn services as pubs prepare to open early for two-up

Traffic will be impacted in most major cities as Anzac Day marches are held across Australia, especially in the country’s two largest hubs Sydney and Melbourne.

In Sydney Elizabeth Street has been closed from 6am. The march will finish at 12.30pm but the streets will not return to normal until mid-afternoon.

Pedestrians wanting to cross Elizabeth St should make their way to designated crossings at Park St, Bathurst St and Hunter St or use Musuem Station to cross.

In Melbourne, motorist will be affected in the CBD, Southbank and St Kilda Rd as well as around Kings Domain and the Botanic and Alexandra gardens until about 2pm.

A crowd of more than 1,000 gathered at the South Australian National War Memorial for the dawn service opened by RSL SA chair Ian Smith.

Wreaths were laid at the memorial by Premier Peter Malinauskas and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and SA Senator Simon Birmingham among other dignitaries.

A service to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who served in Australia’s Defence Force has been held in Canberra and attended by former Labor leader and Australian War Memorial chair Kim Beazley.

The service was hosted by members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Services Association (ATSIVSA) at the ‘For Our Country’ pavilion.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is commemorating Anzac Day by walking part of the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.

He attended a dawn service at the Isurava memorial following a two-day 16km hike along the trail.

He was joined by PNG Prime Minister James Marape and a crowd of 400 people at the service on Thursday morning.

The Isurava memorial is the site where Australian and Papuan forces fought desperately against Japanese soldiers in August 1942.

‘We are gathered in a place that has known the most pitiless ferocity of battle, fought with bullet, bayonet, mortar, and the desperation of bare hands,’ Mr Albanese said.

‘It is also a place that has seen the unadorned strength of the Australian spirit.’

Mr Albanese also thanked the people of PNG for coming to the aid of Australian soldiers.

‘We thank every one of them who helped Australians in the face of retribution and sometimes unfathomable cruelty,’ he said.

‘The troops, the coast watchers and the shipping pilots.

‘The villagers who risked their own lives to feed and guide and shelter Australians in desperate need. The stretcher bearers whose courage was matched only by their kindness.

‘To the people of PNG, I offer Australia’s promise: We will never forget.’

Thousands arrived at Elephant Rock in Currumbin on the Gold Coast on Anzac Day to honour those who served their country.

Melburnians braved the darkness and brisk weather to mark the 109th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli in World War I and honour those who have served in other conflicts and peacekeeping missions.

More than 40,000 people filled the area around the war memorial, which was lit up in red before dawn.

Premier Jacinta Allan, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton, Opposition Leader John Pesutto and Victorian Governor Margaret Gardner were amongst the official party.

Master of ceremonies Justin Smith paid particular tribute to Australian peacekeepers, who had ‘little recognition’.

‘Many times against their training, our peacekeepers could not fight back and this brought its own trauma, as they witnessed human beings at their worst,’ he said.

‘Their enemies weren’t always clear, and their allies weren’t always reliable.’

Mr Smith also remembered the boy soldiers, as young as 14, who lied about their ages to join Australia’s war effort and ended up in Gallipolli.

This is the first year veterans of peacekeeping operations will lead Melbourne’s Anzac Day march.

More than 10,000 are expected to take part, similar to last year.

– Australian Associated Press

Major supermarket retailers like Coles, Woolworths and Aldi will be open on Anzac Day but opening hours vary.

Coles and Woolworths will mostly be open from 1pm, as well Westfield shopping centres.

Two-up was played by Australian soldiers during the First World War, and has since become an Anzac Day tradition.

The game is illegal in venues across most of the country on most days except Anzac Day – which falls on 25 April each year – but the exact rules depend on the state or territory you are in.

Generally, a match manager known as a ‘ringkeeper’ or ‘ringie’ will select a person to be the ‘spinner’.

The spinner will stand in the ring, which is a designated circle in the venue in which only the spinner is allowed.The spinner will place two pennies on a wooden bat, known as a ‘kip’.

Someone will yell ‘come in spinner’ and on that cue, the spinner will toss both pennies up in the air.

They must land within the boundaries of the ring.

Before the coins are tossed, the spinner or other punters will select an amount of money to bet on and find someone in the crowd to match their bet, with one betting on both coins landing heads up, and the other betting on both coins landing tails up.

The spinner will continue to toss the pennies until both land either tails up or heads up.

The ringie will call the result.

The ringie’s decision is final and the winner takes all.

Thousands of Australians have set their alarms early to attend dawn services on this year’s Anzac Day.

Emotional scenes were seen across the country early on Thursday as services were held outside war memorials in major cities.

Australian Governor-General David Hurley lay a wreath at a service outside the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, while state premiers also attended services before sunrise.

Anthony Albanese delivered a moving speech from the the dawn service at the Isurava memorial along the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea on Thursday.