THE War Memorial’s “Big things in store” open day on Saturday 10 September will be a rare opportunity for the public to see behind the scenes of the National Collection and its conservation process.

Gates are open from 9 am to 3 pm and entry is by donation, with proceeds supporting the work of the Australian War Memorial.

The event, last run in 2015, allows visitors to uncover the secrets of the Memorial’s conservation and storage hub, including a vast array of aircraft, rockets, vehicles, tanks, artillery, and equipment used by – or against – Australians in war for more than a century.

The Treloar Technology Centre’s vast collection of items spans centuries, including a number of artillery pieces dating from the mid-1870s, as well as many larger objects manufactured in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Most of the space at Treloar is dedicated to the storage of large objects and custom storage housing for uniforms, flags, textiles, equipment, and accessories. However, the facilities also include a workshop in which staff can assemble objects before they go on loan, conserve large technology objects, and undertake mechanical work and spray painting.