Blog 3 – Arriving in Gallipoli - Written by Chloe Scott

It was an early start this morning as we all woke to travel 5 hours by bus to Gallipoli, the part of the tour we were all especially excited for! When we arrived at Ari Burnu Cemetery many of us went quiet. There was just so much to take in of this truly peaceful place and words were unnecessary at this time.

We had some readings a short time later about the landing while we looked over the beautifully lit water that was sparkling in the midday sun. The weather was perfect with no wind and a clear sky. We got to wander around Beach Cemetery before walking along the beach of ANZAC Cove. Many of us got our feet wet as we moved around the corner to begin our journey up the steep climb to the top of Plugges Plateau. On our way up the ridge we stopped at Beach Cemetery for two of our first ‘Adopt a Digger’ commemorations by Cara and Jayden.

We then made our way to the top where we found the most spectacular view of the Gallipoli Peninsula. The climb up helped us appreciate and understand on a whole new level, the hardship soldiers faced with getting up these ridges. A short hike later and we were overlooking Shrapnel Valley, the Sphinx and Quinn’s Post. Almost right in front of us was the Razor Back Ridge which is certainly true to its name. The readings we had on the ridge, by Gracie, Sachdave and Bennett, helped us picture in our minds what this area was like in the time of WW1.
Our last Adopt a Digger for the day was by Georgia at the Shrapnel Valley Cemetery. All of our ‘Adopt a Digger’ commemorations and readings were so moving and brought the many tragic losses closer to home.
Gallipoli is such an amazingly moving and beautiful place and I can’t wait to explore the next sites tomorrow!