5-day / 4-night tour - From Lille

The Australian War Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux commemorates the battle on the 24th/25th April 1918, when Australian and Commonwealth Soldiers liberated the town. 
In front of it lie the graves of over 770 Australian soldiers, as well as those of other Commonwealth soldiers and since 2008 it has been the site of the special ANZAC Day dawn service. Experience this unique event on our five-day ANZAC tour departing in April 2019 and join fellow countrymen and local townspeople to remember those

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tailor the tour if you wish to visit relatives’ graves (please advise us with your special needs at the time of booking) 
• Visit Wellington Tunnels
• Hear the Last Post played at Ypres

ITINERARY

Day 1 LILLE

Arrive in Lille and meet with the group in the evening for an included dinner. (D)

Day 2 LILLE – YPRES

Our first day takes us to Ypres via the Messines Ridge and the city itself. After lunch, we will spend time around the Passchendaele battlefields, including Polygon Wood, the Gravenstafel Ridge and Tyne Cot Military Cemetery. We’ll also visit the shell scarred area of Hill 60, before returning to Ypres. The final part of the day includes attendance at the daily playing of the Last Post under the Menin Gate at 8.00 pm. (B)

Day 3 YPRES – AMIENS

Leaving Belgium, we cross into French Flanders and spend time at Fromelles, focusing on the disastrous attack of 19th July 1916, including a visit to Pheasant Wood Cemetery and the new exhibition nearby. Our next encounter includes a  visit to the Wellington Quarries, fashioned from existing medieval quarries by New Zealand Engineers in 1916/17 as part of the preparations for the Battle of Arras. Australia’s role in this battle is remembered at Bullecourt, with a stop in the village at the Digger Memorial. (B)

Day 4 AMIENS – THE SOMME – AMIENS

The Somme still captivates the soul and it is here that the ANZAC’s first saw major action in the middle of 1916. Engrained upon their very being were the names of Pozières and Mouquet Farm for Australians, and Longueval and Flers for the Kiwis. We’ll also remember the colossal loss experienced by Great Britain with a visit to the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, before reminiscing on our tour at our farewell dinner. (B,D)

Day 5 AMIENS – VILLERS-BRETONNEUX – LILLE

Villers-Bretonneux is central to Australian commemoration and memory, being the location of the National War Memorial. The final day focuses primarily on the final year of the war, 1918, with success at Le Hamel, which we will visit before we begin the journey back to Lille. (B)

INCLUSIONS

• 4 nights in boutique accommodation
• A knowledgeable Back-Roads Driver/Tour Leader
• Premium mini-coach transportation
• European breakfast daily (B), 3 evening meals (D)
• Entrance included to Hooge Crater Trenches, Hooge Crater Trenches & Museum, Wellington Tunnels, Victoria School Museum