New Bus Service for Visitors to Gallipoli for Anzac Day
Every year thousands of people from Australia & New Zealand visit the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey to be part of the Anzac Day Commemorations. The commemorations
begin with the overnight stay at Anzac Cove where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) first came ashore
in 1915. At first light on the 25th April there is a Dawn Service and that is followed by separate services at the
Australian Memorial known as Lone Pine and at the New Zealand Memorial known as Chunuk Bair.
Getting to the Gallipoli Peninsula for Anzac Day has in the past been a difficult affair and most people have opted to
do one of the many organised tours that run from Istanbul. However a new service will be available in 2009 called the
ANZAC BUS which will run from Istanbul to Gallipoli and back and will make it easier for people to get to Gallipoli on
their own for Anzac Day.
The ANZAC BUS departs early in the morning of the 24th April from the well known tourist area of Istanbul called
Sultanahmet. The bus will drive to Gallipoli stopping on the way at a supermarket for people to buy snacks and water for
the long overnight wait at Anzac Cove. Once arriving in Gallipoli ANZAC BUS passengers will be shown around the main
sites and memorials and an explanation given as to what they can expect the following day. Passengers will then be taken
to Anzac Cove ready for the overnight stay and the Dawn Service. At the conclusion of the services on Anzac Day the bus
will return back to Istanbul but those who have made their own travel plans can also depart the bus at the nearby town
of Eceabat where there are regular ferries to the mainland.
The ANZAC BUS is taking bookings online for 2009 through their website www.anzacbus.com and is operated by Sammy’s
Travel one of the leading Anzac Day Tour companies based in Turkey. Sammy’s Travel Marketing Manager Phil Shacklady
believes the Anzac Bus will be a popular service amongst the younger Australian and New Zealanders visiting Gallipoli
for Anzac Day. “The normal Kiwi and Aussie way is to do these things on your own but with Anzac Day it is difficult due
to complicated bus timetables, security controls and transportation links to the Gallipoli Peninsula. The ANZAC BUS
gives people more freedom to include Anzac Day at Gallipoli as part of their own independent travel plans in Turkey”.
Website: www.anzacbus.com and www.anzacbus.co.uk
ends