2026 Mount Macedon ANZAC Day Dawn Service: Passing the Torch, Enduring Bonds

Each Anzac Day, the striking 21m high Mount Macedon Memorial Cross provides a spectacular, evocative setting for the ANZAC Day Dawn Service.

The 2026 service will reflect this year’s theme, Passing the Torch, Enduring Bonds, exploring how service and remembrance are carried forward by new generations and honouring the enduring connection between those who have served.

Among the veteran voices featured will be Woodend local, Sergeant Joel Forster, a former member of the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR). Joel completed 20 years of continuous service, including deployments to East Timor, Afghanistan and the Philippines.

Woodend Royal Australian Navy veteran Luke Bordonaro is Master of Ceremonies and there will be readings from local high school students sharing stories of local veterans, including extracts from a book by Woodend resident Colonel Marcus Fielding, who coordinated an ANZAC Day service in Baghdad in 2009.

The Mount Macedon Anzac Day Dawn Service commences at 6am at the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross and runs for approximately one hour. Even if minor adjustments are required to the format or positioning, the Dawn Service will proceed at the Cross Reserve regardless of the status of the works onsite.

Free town bus services will run from Gisborne, Woodend, Sunbury, Kyneton, Riddells Creek, Lancefield and Romsey – online bookings are required for these town buses. Free shuttle buses (no bookings required) will operate from Tony Clarke Reserve in Macedon from 4.15am, as roads to the Cross are closed to public traffic for safety. Parking is available at Tony Clarke Reserve.

Attendees are encouraged to dress warmly and bring a torch and water bottle. A sausage sizzle and tea/coffee will be available, with a gold coin donation appreciated.

For bus timetables, town bus bookings and more information visit: www.mtmacedondawnservice.org.