Hobart Cenotaph, War memorial in Queens Domain, Hobart, Australia.
The Hobart Cenotaph is a war memorial set on the Queens Domain, a raised park close to the centre of Hobart, Tasmania. It takes the form of a tall grey granite obelisk on a stepped bluestone base, decorated with bronze laurel wreaths and illuminated Latin crosses near the top.
The memorial was built in 1925 to honour Tasmanian soldiers who died in World War I, and a zinc casket containing their names was placed beneath the base. Decades later, in 2003, earthen walls were added to the site to mark a further dedication to Tasmania's Victoria Cross recipients.
The word cenotaph refers to a memorial built for those whose bodies were never brought home, and this meaning is felt strongly at this site. On Anzac Day and Remembrance Day, people gather here in quiet groups to pay their respects.
The memorial stands on elevated ground in the Queens Domain and can be reached on foot from the city centre, though the path involves an uphill walk. Once there, the position offers open views over Hobart and the Derwent River.
A zinc casket holding the names of the soldiers honoured here lies buried beneath the base, out of sight for any visitor. The earthen walls nearby contain soil brought from the actual birthplaces and battlefields of Tasmania's Victoria Cross recipients, creating a physical connection to those distant places.
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