Australia's Somme Legacy: Private Monash Centre Journey

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.

Olivier was very organised, attentive, thoughtful and informative. He knew his geography and history very well, and ensured we were comfortable throughout the day. We had a great day. What more could you ask for in a tour?

Olivier was our guide and from the time he picked us up at our hotel, he detailed what we would be doing for the day along with other background information of the battles in the area. His knowledge of the battlegrounds and even personnel was extensive and was backed up with photos and maps of the region so we could visualize what the area looked like at that time. The Sir John Monash Centre is brilliant and most definitely worth including on the tour. Olivier made the tour so easy and we would highly recommend for anyone wanting a guided tour of the Somme, to book with Olivier and Viator.

We spent the day with Olivier traveling in the footsteps of Australians on the Somme including the 20th Battalion who has a family connection. Olivier's knowledge of the area was extraordinary and we were so grateful for the time he spent researching and allowing us to see where family had fought. We loved the use of the ipad for photos to compare pre and post war landscapes and to watch in real time the trench maps as we were travelling through. We cannot recommend this tour highly enough. Thank you Olivier.

Our guide Olivier Dirson was so knowledgeable and so passionate that he made the tour so incredibly interesting and relatable even though it was so long ago.All the stops were well worth it and the John Monash museum fantastic.

It’s a long day coming from Paris but all the stops were very worthwhile and very informative. It was quite sobering to think of all the lost lives in such a small area and all the devastation to the land and villages.