Our final day in Gallipoli was Remembrance Day. We had stayed overnight in a small university town called Canakkale, which is a short ferry ride across the Dardanelles.

The Gallipoli campaign was the result of a failed attempt by the British and French forces to take the Dardanelles. The Dardanelles was important strategically because it separates Europe from Asia and is the only waterway between the Black Sea in the east and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. When the naval campaign failed, the British changed tactic and decided to attack on foot by landing at Gallipoli. The rest is history.

The Turkish Government has done a fantastic job preserving the Gallipoli peninsula and surrounding area. We spent the day visiting many of the famous sites. It felt like every corner we turned, there was another cemetery, another memorial and another tragic story of courage and sacrifice. The futility of the entire campaign is really difficult to comprehend but nothing could prepare us for the story of The Nek.

Four waves of 150 men each were ordered to attack Turkish trenches just metres away. They were met with a hail of machine gun and rifle fire as they charged the enemy line. They had no hope. We stood in the trench and we tried to put ourselves in their shoes.  What must have been going through their heads as they literally waited to die?

It was a senseless disaster. Even 100 years on it is difficult to reconcile how it happened. It was a suicide mission.

We made sure we were at the Lone Pine Cemetery on the 11th hour to pay our respects and hold a special commemorative service. It was a really moving experience to be there on this emotional day.

I’ve always had an understanding of why we commemorate ANZAC Day, but having visited Gallipoli I now have a far greater appreciation of the significance and what this day means for our country. I would encourage all Australians to go.

When we line up for the ANZAC Day ceremony on Saturday afternoon at the MCG, and when we pause for that minute's silence and remember the courage and sacrifice of the ANZAC’s during the Last Post, I will remember them.