From the shores of Gallipoli to the misty pine forests of Belgium and the haunting rock cuttings of Hellfire Pass, Australians who travelled with Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours for Anzac Day 2026 are sharing deeply personal stories of remembrance, discovery and connection.
The specialist battlefield touring company led thousands of Australians across key historic sites this year, with tours spanning Gallipoli in Türkiye, the Western Front in France and Belgium, and Hellfire Pass in Thailand. Demand was so strong that multiple coaches operated across Gallipoli and the Western Front itineraries.
For many travellers, the journeys were far more than a holiday — they were emotional pilgrimages tracing family history and honouring relatives who served and died in war.
At Gallipoli, Victorian traveller John Barry stood where his great-uncle Allan Hayes was killed on 25 April 1915. Dianne and William Brisbin from Townsville honoured their great-uncle Lowry Brisbin, who was among the first soldiers ashore on Anzac Day before losing his life days later.
“My journey to Gallipoli was a heartfelt pilgrimage to honour my mother’s family legacy,” Barry said. “Seeing my great uncle’s name etched on the memorial wall was deeply moving.”
The company’s Western Front tours took travellers through northern France and Belgium, including Ypres, Polygon Wood, Villers-Bretonneux and the Somme battlefields.
Queensland sisters Susan and Patricia travelled with Patricia’s sons Ben and Luke for what they described as a “once-in-a-lifetime experience”, while Brisbane traveller David Wood visited the grave of his great-uncle Guy Ralston, who died near Ypres in 1917.
“Finding his grave among the thousands of fellow combatants was a very moving and humbling experience,” Wood said.
For Newcastle traveller Heather Campbell, attending the Dawn Service at Polygon Wood in Belgium was unforgettable.
“The site was shrouded in mist, as though all the lost souls were there with us,” she said. “The Dawn Service at Polygon Wood was surreal.”
Meanwhile in Thailand, travellers gathered before dawn at Hellfire Pass, the notorious section of the Thai-Burma Railway carved by Allied POWs during World War II.
Melbourne brothers Paul and Denis O’Bryan followed in the footsteps of their relative James O’Bryan, who died while working on the railway as a prisoner of war.
“It was an incredible journey, a must-do experience,” they said.
Following strong interest in the 2026 departures, Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours has now opened bookings for its Anzac Day 2027 tours, with Earlybird savings of up to $400 per couple available for bookings made before 30 June 2026.
The company has also unveiled a new offering for 2027 — the inaugural Mat McLachlan History Cruise aboard AmaWaterways. The eight-day Holland and Belgium river cruise will combine tulip season with visits to key battlefield sites linked to Waterloo, World War I and Operation Market Garden, culminating in an Anzac Day commemorative service beneath the Menin Gate in Ypres.
More information: www.battlefields.com.au
