australian ex-prisoners of war memorial

In windswept Ballarat, a memorial well worth a visit. I read names, trying to connect with the names my late father had always tossed at me saying 'of course he was a prisoner of war'. No doubt their names are there and one is left to ponder the horrific conditions and cruelty they were subjected to. Thank you to all those brave men, from the Boer War and beyond, you gave your youth so that we can enjoy the freedom we enjoy today. A must visit for all, the old and especially the young who have not had members of their family fighting for our great country.

A reverend and tasteful memorial that remembers and honours our ex prisoners of war. Well done to whoever had the idea of creating and building this memorial and a huge, huge, huge thank you to our service men and women who suffered greatly so that we can live in peace in our beautiful Australia .

This is a great memorial to Australian P.O.W.'s from all conflicts and lists all who have been held prisoner....Sometimes a missed name comes along, and they are then added

This memorial has been sensitively and creatively erected opposite Lake Wendouree in the Botanic Gardens precinct. On many occasions I have taken visiting friends to see and search for family members names. Always there are comments and discussions on how beautifully this memorial has been constructed and the emotions and respect it evokes.

What a wonderful way to honour those who serve their country, read the artistes interpretation of how he wanted the pieces presented, the sentiments behind the symbolism, was well thought and presented. Memorials should not be morbid, this one is a celebration to our Aussie Spirit of Mateship...

Its a lovely way to honour the fall the park and the area around it is lovely very busy place lots happing there your got walkers rowers and the kids from the local school .

The Prisoner of War Memorial located in the Botanical Gardens precint of Lake Wendouree is a monument to all Australian Prisoners of War, not just limited to the many from Ballarat itself.My first visit was with a friend to look up his great uncle who died as a prisoner of war in Word War 1.I also had the privilege of accompanying my father, himself an aged veteran at the time, though not a prisoner of war, to attend the memorial service and address that is held here annually. Several of my dad's close friends had been prisoners during the Second World War and survived Changi and German prisoner of war camps. Sitting close to one of them was a very moving experience. The naval or military band also plays stirringly on such occasions, along with military formalities, including gun salutes and the last post. On both occasions I attended, the keynote address was inspiring!That the memorial is located here in Ballarat, rather than in Canberra, is due to the efforts of a small group of Ballarat military history enthusiasts, who thought it high time there was a national memorial to prisoners of war and set about making it happen.The memorial is a very serene, sombre and sobering place to visit. It does not glorify war.It is a lovely place to mark the lives of so many men and women, held as prisoners of war, who lost their lives in the sad and unfortunate wars that Australian service men and women have participated in.It is worth visiting, even if your family or friends have never been touched by war. If you are lucky enough to be invited or simply there when the annual memorial service, or similar events are on, then don't miss the experience!The Prisoner of War Memorial could seriously benefit from its own public ammenities, particularly given it attracts many aged and infirm visitors on a regular basis. The nearest facilities are quite a walk if you are not physically able and will require transport or a wheelchair to access!

Beautifully kept, with a very Australian feel, this memorial is an absolute credit to the people of Ballarat. Definitely a place to visit for reflection and commemorating a very difficult time in history.

We visited the Memorial on separate days to pay our respects and to get the most from the memorial design and layout.Excellent landscaping and memorial.Due to the length of the inscription walls the memorial does need a lot of maintaining.The water feature at the base of the engraved names has failed but this does not detract from the overall architectural theme.Very worthwhile

Well worth a visit. Beautifully presented. Overwhelming to see such a huge list of men who sacrificed so much for us.

This was a different type of memorial than what I was expecting. It listed all of those who were prisoners of war and those that died as captives. It was a great reminder to the many thousands that gave their lives to serve this great land. We are so indebted to them and should always keep increasing our knowledge and respect for these great people.

We found the names of family members on the memorial stones which made our visit very poignant. The setting is very beautiful and very Australian with the grass trees. To see all those names is quite confronting and very moving.

This memorial is a wonderful place to pay our respect to those who fought and died to give us freedom. Just near the beautiful batanical gardens with plenty of parking this is a must see when visiting Ballarat.

I wanted to have a look at this memorial as my children's grandfather was a prisoner of war during WWII. There are over 35,000 names on this well designed memorial that are listed on a marble wall in alphabetical order.

The memorial is set out very well - near to the gardens and lake with an interactive board and mini waterfalls - really worth a look - particularly if you are researching someone.