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Anzac Cove (Turkish: Anzak Koyu) is a small cove on the
Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey. It became famous as the
site of World War I landing of the ANZACs (Australian
and New Zealand Army Corps) on 25 April 1915. The cove
is 600 metres (2,000 ft) long, bounded by the headlands
of Arıburnu to the north and Little Arıburnu, known as
Hell Spit, to the south. Following the landing at Anzac
Cove, the beach became the main base for the
Australian and New Zealand troops for the eight months
of the Gallipoli campaign.
Anzac Cove was always within 1 kilometre (3,300 ft) of
the front-line, well within the range of Turkish artillery
though spurs from the high ground of Plugge's Plateau,
which rose above Arıburnu, provided some protection.
General William Birdwood, commander of Anzac, made
his headquarters in a gully overlooking the cove, as did
the commanders of the New Zealand and Australian
Division and the Australian 1st Division. It was on 29
April that General Birdwood recommended that the
original landing site between the two headlands be
known as "Anzac Cove" and that the surrounding,
hitherto nameless, area occupied by his corps be known
as "Anzac".
The beach itself became an enormous supply dump and
two field hospitals were established, one at either end.
Four floating jetties were quickly constructed for the
landing of stores, later replaced in July by a permanent
structure known as "Watson's Pier". The volume of stores
quickly overflowed onto the adjacent beaches; firstly
onto Brighton Beach to the south of the cove and later
onto North Beach beyond Arıburnu. Three wireless radio
stations were established on the beach to maintain
contact with the fleet.
On Anzac Day in 1985, the name "Anzac Cove" was officially recognised by the Turkish
government. The Anzac Day dawn service was held at Arıburnu Cemetery within the cove until
1999 when the number of people attending outgrew the site. A purpose-built "Anzac
Commemorative Site" was constructed nearby on North Beach in time for the 2000 service.
Over the years, Anzac Cove beach has been degraded by erosion, and the construction of the
coast road from Kabatepe to Suvla, originally started by Australian engineers just prior to the
evacuation of Anzac in December 1915, resulted in the beach being further reduced and
bounded by a steep earth embankment. The only way onto the beach was via the CWGC
cemeteries at each headland, Arıburnu Cemetery, and Beach Cemetery.
In 2003 the Australian government announced that it was negotiating with Turkey to place
Anzac Cove on the National Heritage List, which included Australian sites such as the Eureka
Stockade gardens. However this request was dismissed by the Turkish government as the
Gallipoli peninsula is Turkish territory and already a national park in the Turkish National Park
System. In 2004 the Australian Minister for Veteran's Affairs, Danna Vale, made a request to the
Turkish authorities that roadworks be carried out in the area. In 2005, the resultant efforts to
widen the road to provide a bus parking area for the Commemorative Site covered some of
the remaining beach, making it impossible to traverse, and cut into Plugge's Plateau, making
the path to the summit and Plugge's Plateau Cemetery impassable.
On 18 October 2005 the federal minister for veterans affairs, Danna Vale, called for the
battlefield to be recreated in Australia, saying that the physical similarity between the end of
the Mornington Peninsula, in Victoria, and Anzac Cove, in Turkey, is "uncanny"