April 22nd
Day 16 April 22 London
We started the day being dropped off at Hyde Park Corner which is the site of the Australian War Memorial. This memorial has the names of every town that those who fought for Australia during both World Wars enlisted from. Superimposed over this is the names of every major battle that Australians were involved in. We had 2 commeorations here, and then spent some time looking for the names of the towns that had meaning for our group.
We then had a nice walk toward Buckingham Palace and saw a squad of Horse Guards heading that way. Unfortunately we were too early to see the changing of the guard but got some of the atmosphere of the event. We continued on toward whitehall and the Houses of Parliament with their striking landmarks. We then met the bus in front of Westminster Abbey for a short drive to the Imperial War Museum, where we had lunch and a look at the refurbished exhibitions. We were on a tight deadline howvere as we had to make our way to Australia House where we were greeted by the High Commissioner Alexander Downer, before having a tour of the building.
Some were pretty tired after this and went straight to the hotel while other morte determined shoppers went to Harrod's, while some even walked for about a 5 mile round trip, only to find the shop they were seeking shut a minute before they got there.
Isobell Koolmatrie
Well done on the commemorations. It was very busy in London. The Australian Memorial in London was lovely. We found Meningie, Narrung, Pt, McLeay on it as they have the names of all the places where the soldiers came from. Alexander Downer spoke to us about Australia House and we were lucky enough to have a tour. Everything was so flashy. And I can’t forget about Buckingham Palace. Very Big!!!
Trae Rigney
Went to the wall full of towns and it was great! Seeing Pt McLeay, Meningie and Narrung, the towns I grew up on, the towns that have many family around. I enjoyed it and It was emotional!
Sam Crow
Australia House could only be described as grand. The architecture and detailing in the carvings around the walls and ceilings were magnificent. It was great for those who wanted to , to be able to step into and look around Harrods at the end of the day.