Badcoe VC Rest Area
Lake George, NSW
Federal Highway (M23)
At a Glance
About
The Badcoe VC Rest Area sits alongside the Federal Highway (M23) at Lake George, New South Wales, and marks stop 15 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway. Travelling northbound, you have come from the Gurney VC Rest Area; the Wheatley VC Rest Area lies ahead as you continue toward Sydney. This stop pays tribute to Major Peter John Badcoe of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam — one of the most decorated Australians of the Vietnam War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross. Born on 11 January 1934 in Malvern, South Australia, Badcoe began his working life as a public service clerk before National Service set him on a different path. He was commissioned through the Officer Cadet School at Portsea into the Royal Australian Artillery, later transferring to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. By August 1966 he had joined the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam as an adviser to South Vietnamese forces in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province. Between 23 February and 7 April 1967, Major Badcoe displayed conspicuous gallantry and outstanding leadership on three separate occasions in and around Huế. On 23 February he assumed command of a South Vietnamese company that had been pinned down, rallying the troops under fire. Further acts of courage followed on 7 March and again on 7 April 1967 — the day he was killed in action at Huế. He was 33 years old. His Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously, recognising a sustained standard of personal bravery that is rarely equalled. The Remembrance Driveway honours that service by giving travellers a place to pause and reflect on his story. The rest area is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides picnic tables, a shelter, and dedicated truck parking, making it suitable for caravans and heavy vehicles seeking a short break on this busy highway corridor.
Victoria Cross Recipient
Major Peter John Badcoe VC
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV)
Peter John Badcoe was born on 11 January 1934 in the Adelaide suburb of Malvern, South Australia. He was educated at Adelaide Technical High School and initially worked as a public service clerk before being called up for National Service. He was accepted as an officer cadet at the Officer Cadet School, Portsea, and commissioned into the Royal Australian Artillery. He later transferred to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps in August 1965, was promoted to major, and joined the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam in August 1966 as an adviser to South Vietnamese forces in Thừa Thiên–Huế Province.
Between February and April 1967, Badcoe displayed conspicuous gallantry and leadership on three separate occasions. On 23 February, he took command of a South Vietnamese company pinned down by heavy fire and led an assault that overran an enemy position. On 7 March, he again rallied a faltering Vietnamese unit, personally leading an attack across open ground under intense fire to recapture a lost howitzer. On 7 April 1967, during a further action near Huế, he was killed by machine-gun fire while leading yet another assault against a fortified Viet Cong position.
Badcoe was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his sustained courage and leadership across all three actions. He was thirty-three years old. His citation appeared in the London Gazette on 17 October 1967. His medal group is held by the Australian War Memorial.
Born 11 January 1934, Malvern, SA. Died 7 April 1967, Huế, South Vietnam.
References
Remembrance Driveway →
Stop 15 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway
View all 20 stops
- Sir Roden Cutler VC Rest Area
- Partridge VC Rest Area Southbound
- Kenna VC Rest Area
- Keith Payne VC Rest Area
- Gordon VC Rest Area
- Mackey VC Rest Area
- Kingsbury VC Rest Area
- Chowne VC Rest Area
- Derrick VC Rest Area
- French VC Rest Area
- Kibby VC Rest Area
- Edmondson VC Rest Area
- Gratwick VC Rest Area
- Gurney VC Rest Area
- Badcoe VC Rest Area
- Wheatley VC Rest Area
- Anderson VC Rest Area
- Middleton VC Rest Area
- Newton VC Rest Area
- Edwards VC Rest Area
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Campsites(5)
Trails(3)
Attractions(5)
Toilets(3)
Groceries(5)
Fuel(5)
Dump Points(3)
Gunning Dump Point
Free · 29.9km
Gunning Dump Point
Free · 29.9km
EPIC (Exhibition Park Campground)
$? · 30.4km