Anzac

The cozy hamlet of Anzac rests on the sparkling western shore of Willow Lake (known as Gregiore Lake). Neighbours participate various festivals and a host of year round activities that exude community spirit and its beautiful lush locale. This small colourful collection of acreages edge the beautiful boreal forest. Anzac sits in the midst of an extensive network of trail systems carved out of the forest. These trails, meticulously groomed and maintained by the Sno Drifters Snowmobile Club, are a great way to experience some of the most beautiful unspoiled wilderness. For the adventurous, the trail system extends to nearby Stony Mountain, an elevated point which is a favourite for winter campfires and marshmallow roasts trailside. Serene Willow Lake is a favourite amongst fishers, as is nearby Engstrom Lake, and small fishing shacks are a regular feature dotting the ice surface during the winter months as avid fishers stay cozy and warm while waiting for a nibble. Check out nearby Camp Yogi, a 7-acre cedar log camp ground on Gregoire Lake. 25 beds, 2 kitchens, meeting room, company BBQ, family reunions, horseshoe pit, volleyball and beach.

Within the hamlet is Anzac Recreation centre a brand new arena, state of the art designed with a indoor track, field house, fitness centre an indoor and outdoor ice rink with a natural ice surface which draws residents and visitors of all ages for a rousing game of shinny or a leisurely skate. The community comes together for events at the community meeting hall, several outdoor recreational facilities and the Anzac Community School & Bill Woodward School.

Anzac was established in 1917 as a stopping point on the Alberta Great Waterways Railway Line and was named after the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps that surveyed the area during World War I for construction of the rail line to Waterways Originally named after Willow Lake, the previous name of Gregoire Lake, the community were mostly non-status or non-treaty Cree Indians whose forefathers had migrated to the Athabasca Basin area from what was to become northern Manitoba; mostly displacing the original Beaver and Chipewyan occupants of the area. During World War II a road was built from the rail siding to service and construct an American army base on Stoney Mountain.