Visitation
Onsite visitation grew by 16 per cent in FY2024, driven by strong recovery in domestic and international visitation, effective marketing, and diverse exhibition and education programs.
Exit surveys demonstrated very high levels of visitor satisfaction. Audiences rated the overall Shrine experience at 4.8/5, with 81 per cent describing their experience as “Excellent”. Customer service was rated at 4.7/5, while retail, food and beverage services were rated 4.4/5. The growth in visitation and high levels of satisfaction have contributed to significant increases in commercial activity, especially retail sales.
Ceremonial Programs
Providing for the commemorative needs of veterans and the community is one of the Shrine’s primary functions: 76,000 people attended 188 commemorative services. Live streaming of commemorative services continued as an effective way of ensuring participation in commemoration is accessible.
The Victorian Government funded Last Post Service is integrated within the Shrine’s other public programming to provide richer and expanded audience engagement with a wide variety of commemorative themes. It continued to deliver on its aims with both veteran participants and attendees reporting overwhelmingly positive engagement and feedback.
The service continues to provide a unique and inclusive introduction to Australian commemorative practice for those who have not previously attended a Remembrance Service
Remembrance Day
The Victorian Government continued its valued support for the delivery of Remembrance Day, facilitating engagement with a diverse audience spanning veterans, members of the Australian Defence Force, students, domestic and international tourists, and the general public. More than 1,500 attended the service with a subsequent 35,000 views online.
This year’s 11 Days of Remembrance programming contemplated the role of artistic pursuits in allowing us to confront and interpret the complexities of war
Legacy's Annual Anzac Commemoration Ceremony for Students
The Melbourne Legacy Students' Service on April 19, 2024 was attended by approximately 3,500 students. The service featured student guest speakers, school bands, and an address by the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC.
Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service
As part of National Reconciliation Week, this service commemorates the service of Indigenous Australians in the Australian Defence Force. The highly successful service featured several guest speakers and a smoking ceremony and new cultural elements including recitation of the Ode in language, the playing of the didgeridoo during the wreath laying and the national anthem and a choir of Australian students attending Worawa Aboriginal College.
Commerical Programs
Retail and Shrine Tour sales achieved record levels, exceeding ambitious targets. A new ‘Domain Discovery’ tour was introduced in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria.
Preparations were made to launch a new range of event and venue hire products in the coming year.
Events
The Shrine was pleased to partner and host events supporting our community. Highlights included a veteran led concert associated with March for Art — part of the Australian National Veterans Arts Museum’s annual program, and a celebration with the Australian Filipino community to mark the unveiling of the Battle of Leyte Gulf memorial tree and plaque.
In September, the Shrine featured in the City of Melbourne’s Now or Never arts and technology festival. ’Sacra' by internationally acclaimed artist Laszlo Bordos, encompassed a stunning mix of architecturally inspired audio and visual interpretations and projections over two nights. Approximately 30,000 people attended.
We were delighted to see growing community participation in the annual ANZAC Day Eve AFL torch procession. Large crowds joined the Shrine Guard bearing the torch drawn from the Eternal Flame marching with it to the MCG to light a cauldron before 80,000 AFL fans engaged through sport in the spirit of commemoration.
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