00:00This stuff is moving, like it's actually genuinely moving to think these are real things from war.
00:22Hi guys, today we're visiting the Gold Coast War Museum in Madjurabah.
00:27It covers most of the conflicts of the 20th century and apparently there's activities there for kids as well.
00:34But more importantly, I think it teaches us that history is more than just stories.
00:39It honours the courage and the mateship that shaped our country.
01:04Wow, so we've arrived now. This is unreal!
01:08The War Museum building actually looks like some sort of war bunker.
01:13And it's kind of like in the middle of nowhere. We just want to see, just to be honest.
01:18Yeah, so this is Kirsty. What's your role here Kirsty?
01:21So I work in the admin here, so I help people that if they want to come and have a
01:25look through the museum,
01:26I help if they want to know any of the history, any particular interests that they've got.
01:31I also sell them whatever's here in the museum and help them decide which replicas they might like
01:36or which souvenirs they might like.
01:38And I also help hook in the skirmish players.
01:41So get the hens, the butts, birthday parties, just those that are here for fun,
01:45get them all sorted and get them ready to go out onto the field.
01:50This place as it is though is so cool. Like it feels authentic.
01:54And when was it first built, do you know? Or when was it first founded?
01:58So this is the, we're in our 51st year this year.
02:01So we had our 50th party last year.
02:04So the guy in his late 80s, Vic, who owns it.
02:08And now his daughter Julie is taken over.
02:11Was he a veteran or just someone that was interested in wars or the founder I mean?
02:17Yes, he was both. So he has a keen interest and he was in the war.
02:22So yeah.
02:23That is so cool.
02:24And what's the, what are the, some of the more rare or special artifacts that you have here in the
02:29museum?
02:30Like do you have things from actual wars here?
02:32There's a bit of everything here.
02:33So there's people who've donated stuff.
02:36They've been in the war.
02:38So they've been in either the Navy, the Army, you know.
02:41And then they've also got things that are replicas as well throughout the museum.
02:45So people have donated things.
02:47People have reconstructed things and, you know, make them models and then put them here.
02:52And what do you think is important about war museums like this?
02:56Like, you know, what do you think they bring to people like us that have never been to war?
03:00So it's good because you get a bit of an idea and an overview of the history of the war.
03:06And you get to learn about all the different items that they might have used and the things that they
03:11might wear out there as well.
03:13It's like a living history lesson.
03:15Yeah, living history.
03:15Yep.
03:16Definitely.
03:17Wow.
03:21Look at that.
03:24Far out.
03:25And the way they've got, you know, like even the cloth strapped up there, the corrugated iron of the big
03:31building here.
03:32It really does feel authentic.
03:34Like you just get a bit of a sense of what army conditions might have been like just a little
03:41bit.
03:41And to know that the founder was actually a veteran himself too obviously does make it special.
03:47So they've got dioramas here that show you what it was like in the trenches.
03:52And it is really sobering.
03:55But really interesting too when you have a look at all the stuff they've got.
04:01So this is another diorama of the Battle of Arnheim.
04:05And it is just amazing.
04:07They've reconstructed the whole scene really well.
04:16So these are, so you do see a lot of real things in this museum.
04:20And tragically these are actually real remnants of an F111 that came down in New South Wales in 1977.
04:29And both of the crew members died.
04:32So that's really sobering to see that to be honest.
04:41So these are artefacts from the Kokoda Trail from World War II.
04:46When Australia and their Papua New Guinean allies fended off the Japanese.
05:00So here are artefacts from Gallipoli from World War I.
05:04And some of this stuff is just, oh.
05:07This saw here was actually used to amputate the limbs of Australian soldiers.
05:15And there's a statue as well here commemorating Simpson and his donkey.
05:22This stuff is moving.
05:25Like it's actually genuinely moving.
05:28To think these are real things from war.
05:32So the piece de resistance of this war museum is this actual spitfire that was used in World War II.
05:48So this was a late development by Nazi Germany.
05:51And it's a B1, it's an actual B1 that was used in World War II.
05:57So this along with the spitfire are just absolutely incredible to see with your own eyes.
06:09So it's not just World War I and World War II.
06:12There's also artefacts here of Australia's involvement in the Gulf War and Afghanistan.
06:25And here are real machine guns from World War II.
06:33So it's absolutely amazing to see replicas of the naval ships here in their naval displays.
06:44And they've also got a display here on the Vietnam War.
06:57There's some shocking things too, obviously war is full of shocking things.
07:01This is actually a photograph showing a French collaborator, someone who was collaborating with the German army, being shot.
07:08And you can actually see the bullets going through here.
07:13So what actual activities have we got then for the children to be able to do?
07:17So we've got four, we've got a couple of different activities here called the Warrior Challenge.
07:21So they can start with here, number one is Luke's grenade throwing.
07:25So they can pretend they've got a grenade in their hand and throw it down into our special target down
07:30here.
07:30Once they've completed that they can go along to our jumping jacks or more known as star jumps.
07:35So they can have a bit of a go on our grass mat over here.
07:38Is that actual exercise that the army people do?
07:41Correct.
07:42I mean cadets or what are they called, army recruits or soldiers?
07:46So they can go and do that.
07:48Yeah.
07:48Then they go along to our third exercise.
07:50So this is our tyre run.
07:52So they've got to try and run through each individual tyre and make it to the end.
07:56And then on to our next one which is our fourth one, which is our minefield filled one here.
08:04So you're going to close your eyes and try and navigate your way across over the minefield.
08:09We're actually looking on them.
08:11Yes.
08:12Yeah, with your eyes closed.
08:14So you've got to try and do that one.
08:15That one's quite challenging but it's good for you.
08:18And then our last one is our decoding.
08:22So they get a little bit of an alphabet along the bottom and they've got to try and decode morse
08:29code along there.
08:30And if they need any help we're more than happy to help them along the way.
08:33And once they've completed each of the five exercises they get to come along here and put their head through
08:38this little painting.
08:39And it says I survived the warrior challenge.
08:42That is cool.
08:42So this is real morse code is it?
08:44Yes.
08:50So this is a replica from a…
08:53This is a .303 rifle.
08:55It's a standard issue bolt action rifle from the British and Commonwealth forces including
09:01Australia and the World War I and the World War II.
09:05Yeah, push it back.
09:09So this one here is a replica.
09:10It's actually heavy.
09:12It is, yes.
09:13It's one to one scale.
09:14So it's exactly like the one they would use in the World War I and the World War II.
09:17And the kids can go over here in the photo booth and they can have their photo.
09:26Yeah.
09:27This actually feels quite sobering to hold it though.
09:30Like it feels…
09:31I don't know.
09:31It feels…
09:32Knowing what it's used for.
09:36Yeah.
09:36Yeah.
09:36And it's…
09:37It is heavy.
09:38I'm actually surprised how heavy this is.
09:39Like how could you run holding this?
09:42Yeah.
09:42Plus all your heavy gear that you've got on.
09:44Because your overalls or your outfit is quite heavy and long sleeves, long pants, your boots as
09:50great.
09:50So it is quite heavy and hot to wear.
09:52So in trench warfare, in World War I, they would have climbed out of the trench and run
09:57with this.
09:58Yes.
09:58This is actually truly heavy.
10:00Yeah.
10:01Like I'm actually amazed that someone, yeah, could even run with it.
10:04Absolutely.
10:06So they've also got photos here of animals in war.
10:09And not just your usual suspects of dogs and horses, but also dolphins, a bear, a pig,
10:18an elephant.
10:25Well, to say this was better than I expected is actually an understatement.
10:29It really was tons better than I expected.
10:32The building itself gives you that real authentic vibe.
10:36And just to be in bushland as well.
10:38It's just when you pull up and you see that long building and it's got, yeah, it's just
10:43the feel of it immediately is just fascinating.
10:47And then obviously the artifacts were also better than I expected.
10:50Like real artifacts.
10:51Artifacts that actually are really moving as well.
10:54Like especially that saw that was really used on the battlefield on soldiers.
10:59So yeah.
11:00And even to hold that replica gun, like it was a replica, but it was heavy and it is an
11:04exact replica.
11:05So the weight of it too.
11:07But look, I highly recommend this place.
11:09It really is much better than you expect.
11:12If you look at it on the website, just come here, experience it.
11:16And yeah, just, it's moving as well to think of what people have done and how many people
11:23have fought for our freedom.
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