Gallipoli - Anzac Cove, Ari Burnu, Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley and Razorback - by Laura

We awoke this morning at 7am and had a quick breakfast to get on the bus for Gallipoli.  We stopped on the way for cheese toasties and the remaining few hours on the bus consisted of David’s jokes and sing-alongs from the back seat. 

We arrived at Anzac Cove and made our way to Ari Burnu Cemetery where Michael commemorated his soldier of choice: Peter Rados. Drenched by the rain, we took the bus to the next cemetery: Beach. Here, Sanduni presented her ‘adopt a digger’ to John Simpson.

This led to the discussion of whether we believe certain soldiers should be appointed with rankings of authority in the cemeteries in which they are buried.

 After walking around the cemetery and reading the many potent epitaphs, we made our way to the ridges where we trudged through mud and dodged low branches whilst still trying to take in the amazing view. Upon arriving at the ridges, Bianca, Steph and I gave short readings from the war journals of certain soldiers explaining the conditions of their horrific experiences. We gazed at the breath-taking scenery in front of us; the vast sea, green terrain and misty sky – then began the rough journey back down to our warmly awaiting bus. 

The bus took as back to our hotel where we enjoyed some hot chocolate by the fire – something we were all longing for. Although we were able to enjoy a small luxury at the end of the day, we are all reminded of the fact that visiting Gallipoli was a very special experience as we were able to put ourselves in the shoes of our soldiers; experiencing only a tiny fraction of the tremendously harsh conditions they suffered through. The visit to Anzac Cove was amazing and definitely an experience that will stay with us forever.