A 120-metre underpass connecting Victorians from the new Anzac Station to the Shrine of Remembrance, Royal Botanic Gardens, Albert Road Reserve and Albert Park and Formula 1 precinct is now open, several days before the station itself is opened.
The underpass is 15 metres below St Kilda Road and is open to everyone with no Myki required. Its entrances are located at the Shrine and Albert Road Reserve, which take people straight down to the underpass without having to cross six lanes of traffic.
Anzac Station is one of five new stations that open to the public this Sunday 30 November as part of the Metro Tunnel opening.
It has been decorated with artwork that honours Australia’s military history, including etched glass panels featuring plants such as the Lone Pine, Gallipoli Oak, Gallipoli Rose, Flanders Poppy, Lombardy Poplar and Rosemary – plans that were growing where Australians fought at Gallipoli and the Western Front.
Eleven bronze poppies symbolising the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month frame a Path of Remembrance walkway from the station to the Shrine,
There are also bronze sculptures of two Victorian-bred carrier pigeons at the entrance, who were both awarded the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II. One saved a stranded boat in New Guinea, the other carried a warning under heavy fire on Manus Island.
