Governor-General David Hurley led the tributes to veterans, offered in solemnity and reverence in major cities and small towns alike, reflecting on his own service in the armed forces.
Marking 30 years since Australian peacekeeping efforts in Somalia, the former army general was one of 120 veterans who took part in Canberra's Anzac Day march at the Australian War Memorial.
Mr Hurley led the 1RAR battalion as part of Operation Solace in Somalia and said the more than 1000 participants in the capital's parade all had a shared bond.
"The mix of feelings I have today would be common to all veterans: the pleasure of seeing old friends and colleagues ... and the shared and private moments of reflection on our service and of those no longer with us," he said.
"On Anzac Day, we come together to honour those who have served, those who continue to serve and the families that support them."
Services and marches nation-wide also marked 50 years since the end of Australian involvement in the Vietnam War and 70 years since the end of the Korean War.
"Although the Vietnam and Somalia operations were different in scale, duration and intensity, they are very strongly linked," Mr Hurley said.
"They are linked because it was Vietnam veterans who taught the Somalia generation of servicemen and women our military skills and what it means to wear your country's uniform."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who gave the address at the Canberra dawn service, said Australians universally honoured the contribution of past and present defence personnel.
"It is a collective act of remembrance, reflection and gratitude - one carried out by multiple generations of Australians and devoted to multiple generations," he said.
"As we gather here, in towns and suburbs across the country, and in former battlefields across the world, we are surrounded by their names and the places that made their final claim on them, laid out in an atlas of grief.
"If we are to truly honour our veterans, we owe them something more than just gratitude. Just as they stepped for us, we must step up for them."
The prime minister said it was also important to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who donned the khaki "fought harder for Australia than Australia was sometimes willing to fight for them".
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Anzac Day was one of the most meaningful dates on the national calendar and paid special tribute to veterans who fought in conflicts in Vietnam and Korea.
"The values for which we stand are more enduring than any conflict, as long as we have - like our forebears - the courage and commitment to defend them always," he said.
Packed shoulder to shoulder, crowds surrounded the Shrine of Remembrance in the heart of Brisbane to lay wreaths and pay their respects.
In Sydney, thousands more crammed into Martin Place for NSW's longest-running service, while a similar turnout in Melbourne endured the dark and cold in a display of solidarity.
"I'm really proud of my father, he passed away eight years ago," said Sydney woman Glenda Rixon, wearing the medals of her late dad Henry who was an infantryman in Korea.
"It's a special day. We used to always watch him march."
Services have also marked Anzac Day across the world, including in New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Turkey and France.
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