Thousands of Australians planning to follow in footsteps of Anzacs on WWI battlefields
November 2024 through to November 2028 mark the 110th anniversary years of Anzac service during World War One. War historian Mat McLachlan, and founder of Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours, says this significant anniversary is driving interest and bookings for battlefield travel to Gallipoli and the Western Front.
“On 1 November 1914, 110 years ago this year, 30,000 men and thousands more horses were loaded onto 38 Australian and 10 New Zealand troopships to sail from Western Australia to Europe to train and then serve in WWI,” says war historian Mat McLachlan.
“After a month-long dangerous journey at sea – in cramped, crowed conditions where disease spread easily, and with the threat of hostile naval forces – the first Anzacs found themselves in Egypt at a training camp near the great pyramids, just outside Cairo. A few months later, on 1 April 1915, the Anzacs received orders to ship out to Gallipoli where they served until the Gallipoli evacuation in December 1915. But the failed Gallipoli campaign was just the start of the Anzac story – which continued on the Western Front, and saw over 416,000 Australians serve, with fighting in some of the most horrific conditions and battles imaginable,” added Mat McLachlan.
Anzac stories call to Aussie travellers
“The stories of the Anzacs, their service and sacrifice are incredibly interesting and emotive and are part of our shared history – whether you have an Anzac relative, or connect with the Anzac stories from your community – town, suburb, sports club, school… Following in the footsteps of the Anzacs is something that many Australians have on their travel bucket lists, and significant WWI anniversaries heighten interest in planning and booking battlefield travel.”
Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours’ Gallipoli itineraries are in very strong demand for next year – with tours including an 8-day Anzac Day at Gallipoli (April 2025), 10-day Gallipoli Signature Tour with Mat McLachlan (May 2025), and a 4-day Gallipoli Discovery (September 2025). However, the Western Front continues to be the most popular battlefield destination for Australian remembrance travellers – with Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours’ 4-day Western Front Explorer, which offers weekly departures from Paris, being the operators’ most popular tour.
“The Western Front is located just a couple of hours north of Paris and is easily accessible from London by the Eurostar to Lille. Add in the option to fly from Australia to Brussels, Belgium, and there are many ways for Australians to easily incorporate the Western Front into any Europe trip,” explained Mat McLachlan.
