Keith Payne VC Rest Area
Pheasants Nest, NSW
Hume Motorway (M31)
At a Glance
About
The Keith Payne VC Rest Area is stop 4 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway, a memorial driving route that honours Australians awarded the Victoria Cross. Positioned on the southbound carriageway of the Hume Motorway (M31) at Pheasants Nest in NSW, this rest area sits between the Kenna VC Rest Area to the north and the Gordon VC Rest Area ahead to the south. This stop honours Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne VC, one of Australia's most decorated soldiers. Born in Ingham, Queensland, on 30 August 1933, Payne enlisted in the Australian Army in 1951 and served across multiple conflicts — Korea, Malaya, and Papua New Guinea — before volunteering for the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) in February 1969. Assigned as commander of the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion, he found himself in one of the Vietnam War's most harrowing engagements just months into his posting. On 24 May 1969, near Ben Het in Kontum Province, South Vietnam, Payne's company was attacked by a numerically superior North Vietnamese force. Struck by grenade shrapnel in his arms, hands, and skull, he nonetheless covered the withdrawal of his troops under intense fire, organised them into a defensive perimeter, and then returned to the battlefield to continue the action. His extraordinary courage and leadership under those conditions led to the award of the Victoria Cross. Payne is one of only three living Australian recipients of the VC for Vietnam. The rest area is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is equipped with toilet facilities and dedicated truck parking, making it suitable for heavy vehicle operators and caravan travellers needing a structured break on the motorway. It is a service-area style stop, designed for shorter rest breaks rather than extended stays.
Victoria Cross Recipient
Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne VC
Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV)
Keith Payne was born at Ingham, Queensland, on 30 August 1933. He joined the Australian Army in 1951 and saw active service in the Korean War from 1952 to 1953, in Malaya in 1965, and in Papua New Guinea in 1967, before volunteering for the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam in February 1969. With the AATTV he was assigned as commander of the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion.
On 24 May 1969, near Ben Het in Kontum Province, Payne's company was attacked by a numerically superior North Vietnamese force. In the ensuing battle, shrapnel from a grenade burst struck him in the arms, hands, and skull. Despite his serious wounds and under intense fire, Payne covered the withdrawal of his troops and organised them into a defensive perimeter. He then returned to the battlefield and spent three further hours, frequently under fire, searching for missing members of his unit. He located approximately forty of his men, most of them wounded, personally assisted the injured, and led the entire party back to base through enemy-dominated territory.
Payne was the fourth and last Australian to receive a Victoria Cross during the Vietnam War, and the last Australian to be awarded the original Imperial Victoria Cross. He received his VC from Queen Elizabeth II aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in Brisbane on 13 April 1970. He retired from the Army in 1975 and settled in Mackay, Queensland. He remains the last living Australian recipient of the original Imperial Victoria Cross.
References
Remembrance Driveway →
Stop 4 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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Nearby
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Toilets(3)
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