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Ceremonial entrance
Battle Honours
Porticos and Tympana
Symbol of Glory
Promenades
Buttresses
Eastern and Western Walls
Ceremonial entrance
With the opening of the new Visitor Centre and Entrance Courtyard on the north-east corner of the Shrine, the northern steps are now used as the Ceremonial Entrance only to the building.
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Battle Honours
There are 16 stone discs set in the balustrade of the steps that lead to the portico. These discs are the battle honours granted by King George V and read:
- LANDING AT ANZAC
- SARI-BAIR
- RUMANI
- GAZA-BEERSHEBA
- NORTH SEA
- COCOS ISLANDS
- MEGIDDO
- DAMASCUS
- VILLERS BRETONNEUX
- AMIENS
- MONT ST QUENTIN
- HINDENBURG LINE
- YPRES MESSINES
- POZIERES
- BULLECOURT
Porticos and Tympana
At the top of the northern and southern entrances to the Shrine are the porticos. Eight Doric columns support the porticos. Each of these columns is five metres high and supports the tympana.
Carved on the northern tympanum is a representation of ‘The Call to Arms’. The central winged figure represents the ‘Mother Country’. She is surrounded by symbols of the confusion of war which depict the young, the old and the warriors.
The carvings on the southern tympanum represent the homecoming, with the symbols of ongoing education, industry and agriculture. The youth in the centre of the carving stands in a shell drawn by the horses of Neptune, representing the return from overseas.
Symbol of Glory
The Symbol of Glory is a bronze sculpture that depicts the sacrifice crowned with glory. It is situated on top of the truncated pyramid that caps the Shrine.
Promenades
There are two external galleries or promenades that circle the central pyramid of the Shrine that provide unparalleled views of Melbourne. Stairs inside the Shrine give access to one of these galleries.
Buttresses
The east and west walls are each framed by two Buttresses, each in the form of a large granite sculpture of a goddess in a chariot carved in the shape of the bow of a ship. Two lions led by a boy draw the chariot. The boy wears a bandolier of coins, symbolising the donations of Victorian school children that met the cost of these sculptures. The eastern wall buttresses represent ‘Peace and Goodwill’, and ‘Justice’. The western wall buttresses represent ‘Patriotism’ and ‘Sacrifice’.
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Eastern and Western Walls
The eastern wall bears the following inscription:
THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY A GRATEFUL PEOPLE TO THE HONOURED MEMORY OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVED THE EMPIRE IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-1918.
The western wall is inscribed with the following words:
LET ALL MEN KNOW THAT THIS IS HOLY GROUND. THIS SHRINE ESTABLISHED IN THE HEARTS OF MEN AS ON THE SOLID EARTH COMMEMORATES A PEOPLES FORTITUDE AND SACRIFICE. YE THEREFORE THAT COME AFTER GIVE REMEMBRANCE.
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