ANZACs on the Western Front – Special ANZAC Ceremony (reverse) 2022

After meeting the group in Lille, we’ll kick off our incredible journey with a welcome dinner.

The first day of our tour will take us from Lille to Villers-Bretonneux: home of the National War Memorial and a central location to Australian WWI commemoration and memory. We'll visit the Franco-Australian Museum, a site paying tribute to the brave Australian soldiers who helped to save the town from German advances. After, we'll pay a visit to the Sir John Monash Centre before shifting our focus to the last year of the war - with a visit to Le Hamel, the site of the successful 4 July attack. Then, it's onwards to Amiens - our home for the next three nights.

After an early start, we'll leave the hotel and make our way to the ANZAC Day Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux. We'll join locals and meet fellow Australians and New Zealanders who have journeyed here to pay tribute to the brave ANZAC soldiers. The service will be an unforgettable and emotive experience that is sure to leave an impression. The rest of the day will be yours to spend at your leisure.

The Somme still captivates the soul - and it's here that the ANZACs first saw major action in 1916. Today we'll visit Pozières and Mouquet Farm - sites that were especially important for Australian soldiers, as well as Longueval and Flers which were similarly significant to the Kiwis. Before returning to Amiens, we'll take some time to remember the colossal loss experienced by Great Britain - with a visit to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. This evening will be ours to spend exploring Amiens or relaxing back at the hotel.

Today's first stop? The Wellington Quarries - a network of underground tunnels the New Zealand Tunnelling Company built as part of the preparations for the Battle of Arras. Later this afternoon, we'll remember Australia's role in this battle with a stop at the Digger Memorial. Then, we'll move on to Fromelles, the site of the disastrous attack of 19 July 1916. Here, take the time to pay your respects with a poignant visit to Pheasant Wood Cemetery and the incredible exhibition nearby. And this evening? We'll have the privilege of attending the Last Post ceremony under the iconic Menin Gate - a fitting end to our day.

After breakfast, we'll continue to delve into the moving stories of the West Flanders Front with an included visit to the In Flanders Fields Museum - a unique institution that commemorates the four-year trench war and conveys a contemporary message of peace. This afternoon, you'll have some free time to spend as you please in Ypres. A site that was completely destroyed during WWI and rebuilt anew - take the time to visit the town's magnificent cathedral or treat your taste buds to a sampling of Belgian chocolate. Later, we'll come back together for tonight's farewell dinner.

For our final morning together, we’ll visit the shell-scarred Hill 60 and fascinating Hooge Crater Museum before walking in the footsteps of WWI soldiers at the Passchendaele battlefields – where allied forces fought to break the German line in 1917. Before returning to Lille, we’ll have the opportunity to pay our respects at Polygon Wood and Tyne Cot Military Cemetery – the site where 11,900 Commonwealth servicemen of WWI are commemorated.