Australian private Somme tour including Sir John Monash Centre
Description
On this tour, your group will be the sole and exclusive participant. You will receive your guide's undivided attention. This is a strictly private tour: I never combine bookings. You will only travel with the people you choose. Following the footsteps of the Australians on the Somme with a local experienced guide. We conduct battlefield tours of the Western Front since over 16 years to provide you a unique experience. To ensure a truly personalized experience, please let me know in advance if you have any special interests or specific sites you wish to visit, including any locations connected to family members who served during the war. I'm happy to tailor the tour to your preferences.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visiting the Australian National Memorial of Villers-Bretonneux where 11.000 Australians without a know grave who fell in the Somme are remembered and Villers-Bretonneux Military cemetery
Sir John Monash Centre tells Australia story of the Western Front Please note that the SJMC will be closed from 25 December to 1 January inclusive, and from 10 February to 1 March inclusive
The Lochnagar mine crater is the remain of the biggest mine used by the British Army on the first day of the battle of the Somme
We’ll have a lunch break in a local restaurant/café in La Boisselle or Pozières
After lunch we’ll continue the visit to the village of Pozières, where the bloodiest Australian struggle on the Western Front took place. Vestiges of the Gibraltar bunker remain and memorials including the First Australian Division Memorial, the Windmill and the Tanks Corp Memorials
The Windmill Memorial is a German position captured by the Australian troops during the battle of Pozières. On the other side of the road, the tanks Memorial remember where the tanks where used for the first time in history
To help us to understand trench warfare, we’ll visit the Newfoundland Park in Beaumont Hamel and in particular its well preserved trench system
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will contact you after your booking to arrange your preferred pick-up location (e.g., train station, hotel, B&B). Pick-up is flexible within the Amiens, Arras, and Saint-Quentin areas. Please don't hesitate to contact us with your preferences. As a local Picard guide eager to share my regional expertise, please note that due to travel distance and time constraints, tours cannot originate from Paris. This tour could also starts from Arras or Saint-Quentin.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Reviews(54)
Great guide who was very knowledgeable and very friendly - really enjoyed the tour! Covered a lot of ground and now have a far better understanding of strategies.
Olivier was very knowledgeable, interesting and accommodating. Would highly recommend him for your tour of all the battlefield sites.
We had an unforgettable experience with Olivier. Walking the old trenches and driving the landscape gives you a new insight into WWI. Unmissable.
Had a great day with Olivier touring the Somme Battlefields. He is very knowledgable, friendly and put together a great itinerary. Would highly recommend.
Thank you for your kind review! I'm pleased to hear that you had a pleasant experience with me. I wish you a very Happy New Year 2026 :)
We had a very enjoyable and informative day with Olivier. His depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the WW1 battles of the Somme really brought the topic to life for us. As the day progressed we really began to visualise and understand what it must have been like for the soldiers and the local community. Visiting the various memorials, including the Sir John Monash Centre and Australian Memorial were highlights for us.
Amazing to follow in the footsteps of the Australian soldiers at the Western Front during the offences of WW1. Having the old photographers and maps of that era and being able to compare to now was very interesting. Oliver was an enthusiastic historian and was able to put things into perspective. highly recommend this tour, it is very comprehensive.
A full day of the Australian involvement in the Somme area and Villers-Bretonneaux. Great tour, very informative with Olivier, a very pleasant and knowleageable guide from the local area who really knows his stuff. Great pacing, some free time but covered a good number of key sites. Private tour, just Olivier and the two of us. Started and finished on time. He also has very good assist with an ipad set up with photos and map to help understand the history. Totally cool.
The tour was very insightful and moving. Olivier was an incredibly knowledgeable, polite and thorough guide. We saw and experienced so much. The highlight of the tour was Villers-Bretonneux and the Sir John Monash Centre.
This trip had been in the planning for many months. Olivier tailored the tour to include an activity that was very personal. His efforts in working with us and conducting extra research was greatly appreciated. His knowledge of the campaigns and battles is excellent and his use of an iPad inside the vehicle allowed us to track the battlefront as we went along. This is a great initiative. I highly recommend Olivier.
Olivier is fantastic. He has a wealth of knowledge, and a passion for the history of the Somme. The itinerary is comprehensive, and has a good mix between inspiring and sobering. It makes one realise how brave and selfless Australians and their allies were in repelling the Germans, while at the same time bringing so much sadness with the incredibly high loss of (mostly) young lives. The Sir John Monash Centre is a must-see for any Aussies. I highly recommend a day with Olivier - you will learn a lot and have a very rich experience on which to reflect at a later time.
