Virtual tour of Hellfire Pass and Sandakan Death Marches

To coincide with Remembrance Day, stage two of the ANZAC 360 app was launched in partnership with News Corp Australia on 10 November. It allows viewers to experience two of Australia’s darkest chapters in its military history, Hellfire Pass in Thailand and the Sandakan Death Marches on Borneo, through virtual reality technology.

Stunning video and historic photos of these Second World War sites is available through the app, which also features educational videos and interviews with veterans. The app allows Australians to visit these sites of remembrance from their classrooms or homes.

Over the years, Hellfire Pass (Konyu Cutting) has become a symbol of the suffering and maltreatment of Australian prisoners of the Japanese across the Asia-Pacific region. Australians feel a deep affinity with this site, with more than 180,000 visitors making the pilgrimage to the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre in Thailand each year.

On Borneo, the Sandakan to Ranau Death Marches saw around 2,000 Australian and British prisoners forced to walk 260 kilometres through jungle tracks into Borneo’s rugged interior. Many died on the way and those unable to continue were killed. The Marches remain the worst atrocity committed against Australians in war.

You can download the ANZAC 360 app free from the App Store and Google Play – search for ANZAC 360.