Thailand
Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum and Walking Trail
The Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum is dedicated to those Australians and other Allied Prisoners of War and Asian labourers who suffered and died at Hellfire Pass and elsewhere in the Asia Pacific region during the Second World War.
During the Second World War, thousands of forced local labourers and Allied Prisoners of War suffered and died constructing and maintaining the Burma-Thailand railway. The Australian Government constructed the interpretative memorial in cooperation with the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The memorial, dedicated in 1998, was designed and constructed by Hewitt Pender Associates Pty Ltd, Australia and Woods Baggot Limited, Thailand.
The museum explains to visitors the story of why and how the railway was built and attempts to convey the hardships and suffering endured by so many who were forced to work in extremely harsh conditions. The Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum symbolises the importance of this site to the Australian people. After visiting the memorial museum and contemplation deck, visitors are encouraged to proceed to the walking trail.
The Office of Australian War Graves continues to improve visitors' experience when visiting the site. The audio guide tour introduced several years ago continues to be well received and many visitors and tour groups use the guide as they walk through the museum and along the paths to the memorial. The audio guide, available in English, Dutch, Japanese and Thai, provides a history of Hellfire Pass and first hand comments from ex-prisoners of war.
In 2008, the new access to the Cutting was completed and the carefully designed pathway and stairs now winds down below the contemplation deck providing safe, easy access.
Maintaining the site with approximately 100,000 visitors per annum continues to be challenging for the Manager and staff.