Mandurah War Memorial was designed by award-winning architects Hames Sharley and completed in 2005.
Water flowing through the monument and into the estuary echoes the lapping of the tide at Anzac Cove. The pillars rising from the water recreates the physical journey and emotional tension of the soldiers who courageously stormed the beaches, and rose from the trenches to face the conflict that confronted them.
The east/west orientation of the Memorial is designed to capture the axis of the sun on ANZAC Day. At dawn, the rising sun lights up the columns and create a temporary guiding light to the highest peak of the memorial.
The Memorial is surrounded by a grove of New Zealand Christmas trees. When the red blossoms shed by the trees carpet the ground, this is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice of war. The Memorial also features rows of Rosemary which grows wild in the hills of Gallipoli. Plantings of olive trees symbolise peace.
Annual ceremonies held at the War Memorial represent the convergence of the living with the spirit of the fallen. In its use as a ceremonial space, the Memorial includes a list of the theatres of war in which Australian service men and women were involved, elevated platforms for flags, speakers, wreath laying and room for a 50 strong choir. At the centre of the War Memorial is a black stone plinth, set in water and surrounded by a concrete platform. This is used by the Catafalque Party to stand on during Memorial Services.
