Event
By Janna Hrastovec
Every year on 25 April, Australians gather to commemorate Anzac Day. Marked by a national public holiday, poignant dawn services, marches and events are held across Queensland to honour and pay respect to those who have served and sacrificed for their countries since World War I.
Here is a rundown of the key Anzac Day 2025 dawn services and events in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Cairns.
Dawn Service at Redcliffe, Moreton Bay, Brisbane. Photo by @liliroesselphotography
Anzac Day commemorates the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) soldiers who landed at Gallipoli at dawn on April 25, 1915. Anzac Day honours their legacy, as well as all who have served their countries since.
Set against the breathtaking Currumbin Beach, the Currumbin RSL dawn service is one of the Gold Coast’s largest Anzac Day gatherings, starting with a march at 4:35am before the main service at 5:00am. A gunfire breakfast at Currumbin RSL follows, before the club’s mid-morning service and march commences at 10:55am, with a cenotaph service. The Currumbin RSL opens to the public at 12:30pm and is one of the most popular spots for Anzac Day activities, with rounds of Two-Up rolling out across the afternoon.
Taking place at the Memorial Park cenotaph on the corner of the Gold Coast Highway and Connor Street (opposite Burleigh Beach), the Burleigh Heads Anzac Day dawn service commences at 4:28am sharp. At 9:15am at the same location, the Anzac Day Ceremony will feature a moving service with laying of wreaths, playing of the Last Post and observance of a minute’s silence.
All are welcome to the Mudgeeraba dawn service, which commences at 4:20am at the Elisa Laver Memorial Park on Railway Street. From 5:00am, there will be a gunfire breakfast at the Memorial Hall, and later in the day, there’s the Anzac Day march and Sunset Service, which steps off at 3:30pm from the Village Green.
Crowds descend on the Broadwater Parklands in Southport for the Anzac Day dawn service at 5:00am. Later in the morning, the parklands provide the perfect backdrop for a moving Citizen Service in the same location from 9:00am.
A dawn march along Beach Road in Surfers Paradise commences at 5:00am, with the Anzac Day dawn service on the Surfers Paradise esplanade following at 5:30am. An Anzac Day Ceremony will follow at 12:00pm at the cenotaph in Cavill Park, along Cavill Avenue.
Anzac Square, Brisbane City. Photo by @quickpackthesuitcase
The Brisbane City Shrine of Remembrance, located between Adelaide and Ann Streets, hosts Brisbane’s largest Anzac Day dawn service. The service commences at 4:28am sharp in Anzac Square in the heart of the city. The Anzac Square and Memorial Galleries will also be open from 5:30am on Anzac Day morning for patrons to explore or place a message of remembrance.
Following the morning dawn services, Brisbane’s Anzac Day Parade takes place along Adelaide Street (between George Street and Creek Street) from 9:45am to 12:25pm. The commemorative parade, which first took place in Brisbane in 1916, celebrates and recognises veterans that served and those who continue to serve.
Beyond the city, there are numerous Anzac Day services being held across Brisbane’s suburbs, including dawn services at the Toowong Memorial Park (4:45am), the Walton Bridge Reserve at The Gap (5:30am), Salisbury RSL Memorial Park (5:00am), the Sunnybank RSL (4:30am), the Cameron Rocks War Memorial in Hamilton (5:00am).
The Anzac Day dawn service commences at 5:30am at the cenotaph on the Cairns Esplanade. A Services Parade from Fogarty Park will follow at 7:30am, with a commemorative service to commence when the march hits the cenotaph at 8:00am.
The Anzac Day commemorative march begins on Munro Street in Babinda at 4:15am, with a dawn service commencing upon arrival to the cenotaph in ANZAC Park. A mid-morning parade along Munro Steet to Anzac Park and service follows at 10:00am.
Taking place on the beachfront at the Vasey Esplanade, the Trinity Beach dawn service begins at 5:30am, with wreath laying at the Trinity Beach memorial and a commemorative march.
Locals will gather at Gordonvale’s Norman Park cenotaph for the 4:15am dawn service, followed by a commemorative march from the Gordonvale State Primary School on George Street (9:30 am) and morning commemorative service at Norman Park from 10:00am.
In the coastal suburb of Yorkeys Knob, the Yorkeys Knob Boating Club hosts a moving Anzac Day commemoration service from 8:30am at the Boat Club's Memorial Garden.
In Caloundra, the Kings Beach Anzac Day dawn service commences at 5:00am at the oceanfront Kings Beach Amphitheatre, followed by a march to the Caloundra RSL at 9:00am and a wreath laying service at 10:00am. The Caloundra RSL opens to the public for an afternoon of entertainment and fundraising to support veterans and their families.
Hosted by the Moochy RSL Veteran Hub, Maroochydore’s annual Anzac Day dawn service is a moving ceremony held on The Esplanade by the Cotton Tree cenotaph. The Maroochy RSL on Memorial Avenue opens at 1:00pm for all to enjoy a cold beverage and a game of Two-Up.
Held on the Mudjimba Esplanade on Mudjimba Beach, the dawn service begins at 5:30am in front of the cenotaph in Power Park. There’s also an Anzac Day march along Mudjimba Beach Road at 10:30am, with the main ceremony to follow at 11:00am.
Held in front of the Mooloolaba Surf Life Saving Club, the popular dawn service takes place at 4:55am, just as the sun begins to rise over the stunning Mooloolaba Beach.
In the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Maleny’s Anzac Day commemorations begin at the RSL Maleny cenotaph at 4:28am for a moving dawn service. The Anzac Day parade and main service will begin at the cenotaph at 11:00am, followed by lunch and traditional games in the RSL Maleny Memorial Hall.
Anzac Day services near Noosa include the Tewantin Noosa RSL Sub Branch dawn service at the Tewantin town square cenotaph at 5:30am. At Coolum Beach, there’s the Coolum-Peregian RSL dawn service at 4:30am, and in Eumundi, a march and commemorative service in the Eumundi Amphitheatre will commence at 7:30am.
For more opportunities to pay your respects, visit some of Queensland’s best memorial sites.