ANZAC Cove is the narrow stretch of beach where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on 25 April 1915 — the date now commemorated as ANZAC Day across Australia and New Zealand. The cove is bounded by two headlands and backed by steep cliffs, making the landing an extraordinarily difficult military operation. More than 8,000 ANZACs died on the Gallipoli peninsula during the eight-month campaign.
The annual dawn service at ANZAC Cove on 25 April draws thousands of visitors, especially Australians and New Zealanders, and requires booking months in advance. At other times the site is quiet and deeply affecting. A simple memorial marks the cove, and the cliffs above still show traces of the trench systems dug during the campaign. A road runs along the beach, passing the cemetery at Beach Cemetery where some of the first casualties were buried.