Where to mark Anzac Day on the Surf Coast

COMMUNITIES across the Surf Coast will pause to honour service and sacrifice this Anzac Day, with dawn services, marches and commemorations planned from Torquay to Lorne, Anglesea and Winchelsea.

At Point Danger, the Torquay RSL will host the region’s largest observance, with thousands expected to attend the dawn service on Saturday.

The service begins at 5.45am.

Torquay RSL vice-president Michael Hannon said the focus of the day remained unchanged, despite the club facing ongoing challenges in funding the service.

“The main message for us does not change, and that’s to honour those who have served proudly in all conflicts,” he said.

“It’s a very important day, and has been carried out at Point Danger for more than 70 years – it’s the second biggest in the state outside the Shrine of Remembrance.”

“Whether [the dawn service] lives or survives though, it’s now on our shoulders. We hope to continue taking the accolades, but the need for community support moving forward is high.”

This year, the service will be livestreamed to the Torquay RSL’s Facebook page, a move Hannon said was aimed at engaging younger people.

“What we are trying to do this year is make it easier for young people,” he said. “We want to engage them and keep them involved.

“We know all this visual content is a great way of doing so, and this will be showcased with our speakers on the day too.”

The dawn service at Point Danger is one of the largest in the state, with thousands of people expected to attend. Photo: Peter Marshall.

Other Surf Coast townships will also mark the day.

The Winchelsea RSL will hold its commemorations from 10.30am at the RSL Memorial Grandstand.

In Lorne, a dawn service will be held at the newly open Anzac Memorial Park in Mountjoy Parade at 7am. The service will be followed by a gunfire breakfast at the Lorne Bowls Club at 7.30am.

At 10.45am, a march will take place from the Lorne Visitor Information Centre to the Cenotaph, ahead of a second commemorative service at Anzac Memorial Park at 11am.

Anglesea will begin with a dawn reflection at 6.15am at the Cameron Park War Memorial, followed by a gunfire breakfast.

A march will step off from the Anglesea Memorial Hall at 9.45am, ahead of an 11am service at the Anglesea RSL.