Photos til I can find some time to write.

OK
8.50am
On the bus ready to catch the ferry across the Dardanelles.
The air conditioning is fixed.
A fan belt went at Helles yesterday.
Bus would go but all accessaries were off.
Then we missed the ferry.

But back to the beginning...

Looking out at the Dardanelles on my left.
Beautiful scenery.
Unbelievable.

Then into the Gallipoli Historical National Park.
There were pine trees everywhere.
Silly how that surprised me.
( Lone Pine and all.)
They were mostly young trees.
Fulia advised that a large fire went through several years ago and most of it was replanting.

Our first stop was a lookout over the peninsula.
Up at long set of steel steps to a round lookout.
Cape Helles directly in front, ANZAC Cove on the right.
Really great to see and give you a perspective.
Two Islands off the coast.
Searched for Lemnos... Have to ask today.

The ground is dry and pale, rocky soil.
Walk back down the hill to the bus.

Onto the Turkish Memorial.
This is enormous.
Four columns, that from a distance look like the letter M.
( Only because you can only see 3 columns at a time.)
Looks spectacular.!
We wandered through the grave sites.
The Turkish have gravestones made of glass for the soldiers with no known grave.
There are about 20 names engraved on each side of the gravestone.
Two sheets of glass.
All amongst towering pine trees, pine needles underfoot.

The Turkish flag high on an enormous flagpole flying over the Dardanelles.

Fantastic memorial and unbelievable view of the entrance to the straight.

Back on the bus to Helles Memorial.
This one too, could be seen standing out from a huge distance.
It looks beautiful.
And I found the name Bayles F.

This was the engraving for Frederick Bayles.
I was looking for someone from our area who had not returned from Gallipoli when I came across the story of Frederick.

We now know that Frederick arrived here in August 1913, and was employed with the Victorian Railways as a clerk. Then a year after he arrived, he enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force and by the following May, he was dead. You would have to surmise that he had made a big impact on his fellow workers because seven years later, they honoured him by naming the Bayles Railway Station after him. According to the Cranbourne Shire Rate Books (available at our Libraries) by 1923-1924, the name had spread to the small settlement surrounding the Station, so the town is memorial to Frederick and, in a sense, his fellow soldiers who were killed during the First World War.

I was thrilled to find his name as we only had about 30 minutes to see the Memorial and surrounds.
All names are listed with their battalions so his name was easy to find.
He was a bugler in A Company of the 7th Battalion.
He was killed less than 2 weeks after the ANZACS landed on the Gallipoli Penisula on April 25th - 26th.
He has no known grave.

I wandered to take in the view, then down to overlook V Beach where the British landed.
It is a natural amphitheatre, 3 high sides looking down on the beach and water.
Perfect defendable position for the Turks.
The small V Beach Cemetery looked beautiful in the sunshine from our cliff top.

Also incredible to see the huge Turkish guns pointing out to sea from a Fort built in 1660!!!!!!

The ships that hit mines and sank in the Dardanelles had actually sailed in and then were manoeuvring to turn and sail back the other way.
The Turks had observed how the ships manoeuvred originally and actually laid mines parallel to the right hand shoreline.

The second time the attack came, the ships sailed in guns shooting at the shore and then turned right to start to manoeuvre back down the straight. Because they needed so much room to turn, they sailed directly into the line of mines.

So all on Gallipoli today.
The bus did a fan belt and it was 'everybody off'
We were parked in a shady, though dusty car park so just sat quietly and watched the proceedings.
There was a moment we thought we were staying a while at Helles but the driver managed to do a temporary fix ......but the air conditioning couldn't be used.
You really noticed the warmth inside the bus then.

A fair drive into the town to catch the Ferry at Eceabat.
Scenic seaside town.
The bus was in the queue for the ferry.
First one full for buses.
A few people decided to go ahead of the bus and caught the ferry anyway.
But the bus...still queueing.
Most hopped off the bus into a beautiful breeze.
Emily and Steve shot off the bus, across the road into a beautiful little bar and proceeded to watch the comings and goings from there.

I wandered, eating an ice cream.
There was an incredible display showing the trench warfare.
The Turks were on one side.
ANZACS on the other.
And 5 meters between them.
Great display right on the water's edge.

Ferry!
Nope, that call was a bit early
False alarm.
Dragged Emily and Steve out of the cool pub a bit early.
Back they went.

OK, this one.
On the ferry to Canakkale.
Watched the birds catching the wind above the ferry.
Emily and I sat outside and enjoyed the view.
I was taking photos when Turkish man tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the magnificent sculpture on the side of the hill.
The Turkish flag and the soldier.
Magnificent.
He was obviously proud to show it off and didn't want us to miss it.

A walk along the water from the ferry.
Arrived at the hotel at 6.45pm.
2 hours late really.
Only time to throw cases into the room and race back downstairs.
Those who had caught the earlier ferry were quite relaxed sitting in the bar.
We were a bit sticky and dirty, straight into the bar for a talk by the Turkish Historian.
We only had time to grab a drink, short conversations trying to get to know people.
Then into a seat.

I didn't enjoy this at all.
Emily on the other hand was fascinated.
I expected more of the Turkish perspective on Gallipoli.
But it was really a history lesson all about Turkey ( but staring in the year 45,000 BC I think.)
Nothing about the war.

Then dinner at 9pm.
Spectacular view from the hotel across to the water.
And location, location, location.

Shower.
Bed.