More than 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders are sitting in reverence on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula, as a formal ceremony begins to honour the diggers who fought and fell there a century ago. A vast sea of pilgrims from both nations have gathered at the Anzac Commemorative Site to mark the 100th anniversary of the bloody Gallipoli landings. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, his New Zealand counterpart John Key, Prince Charles and Prince Harry are among those in attendance. Defence Force Chief Mark Binskin told the thousands gathered there of the horror the Anzacs were confronted with on the day they came ashore in Turkey a century ago. 'The quiet stillness of dawn and the gentle sound of the waves on this beach gave way to the flash and roar of gunfire over the painful cries of the wounded,' he said. 'For so many, the rising sun that day would be their last.' Scroll down for video . A bagpiper from the Australian army salutes during a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli . As dawn broke, families of soldiers, leaders and visitors gathered near former battlefields, honoring thousands of Australians and New Zealanders who fought in the World War I Gallipoli campaign . During his address to the thousands attending the Gallipoli dawn service, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the troops who fought in the First World War became more than just soldiers as they were the 'founding heroes of modern Australia' A proud Australian attends the dawn service ceremony at the Anzac Cove commemorative site in Gallipoli . Mr Abbott shakes hands with Australian visitors during a dawn ceremony after his address to thousands gathered for the service in Gallipoli . Pilgrims listened as Defence Force Chief Mark Binskin told the thousands gathered there of the horror the Anzacs were confronted with on the day they came ashore in Turkey a century ago . The defence force chief also told of the fears that gripped the men as they battled to shore under unrelenting gunfire: a fear they would be cut down, as too many were, but also a fear that they might let their mates down . An Australian visitor pays his respects on the battlfields in Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula . Britain's Prince Charles speaks during a dawn ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli . Prince Charles lays a wreath during a dawn ceremony in Gallipoli following his address to the huge crowds . More than 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders are sitting in reverence on the shores of the Gallipoli peninsula . Many listened in silence during Mr Abbott's address. 'Few of us can recall the detail but we have imbibed what matters most: that a generation of young Australians rallied to serve our country, when our country called, and they were faithful, even unto death,' Mr Abbott said . A vast sea of pilgrims have gathered at the Anzac Commemorative Site to mark the 100th anniversary of the bloody Gallipoli landings . A formal ceremony was held to honour the diggers who fought and fell in Gallipoli a century ago . The defence force chief also told of the fears that gripped the men as they battled to shore under unrelenting gunfire: a fear they would be cut down, as too many were, but also a fear that they might let their mates down. 'This is where the Anzac legend was born at great cost,' he said. 'Here, so many died and dreams died with them. Here, they lie in sacred soil. Here, we honour their spirit, the spirit of Anzac which lives among us. Here, we will remember them.' During his address, Mr Abbott said the troops became more than just soldiers as they were the 'founding heroes of modern Australia'. 'Few of us can recall the detail but we have imbibed what matters most: that a generation of young Australians rallied to serve our country, when our country called, and they were faithful, even unto death,' he said. 'Most of us have never worn our country's uniform, we have not climbed the steep cliffs of Gallipoli. 'But we are better for those who have. 'They were as good as they could be in their time, now let us be as good as we can in ours. 'We believe the Anzacs represented Australians at our best.' New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key speaks during a dawn ceremony at Anzac Cove . People, among them proud Australians, look on during the dawn service in Anzac Cove in commemoration . Tony Abbott (right) walks with his wife Margaret Aitken (left) during the dawn service at Anzac Cove . Visitors from Australia and New Zealand attend a dawn ceremony at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli . Thousands have been united to honour their nations' fallen as today marks 100 years since the Gallipoli land campaign of the First World War which began on April 25, 1915 . Mr Key told the gathering of the challenges the Anzacs faced as they came ashore on that bloody day a century ago. 'Instead of the open spaces that have been described to them, they landed here with steep hills rising in front of this narrow beach,' he said. He said the opposing forces who set upon one another with such devastating results had something in common - they believed what they were doing was right and necessary, and both sides conducted themselves with courage and bravery. 'The campaign waged here ensured that the name of this place would be written into the histories of New Zealand, Australia, Britain, Turkey and the many other countries that fought here, never to be erased,' he said. He spoke too of the unbreakable bond forged between Australia and New Zealand. 'To us, Gallipoli is also a byword for the best character of Australians and New Zealanders, especially when they work side-by-side in the face of adversity.' Many waited overnight as they braved Anzac Day's pre-dawn chill at Gallipoli . Gallipoli has become a site of pilgrimage for visitors who honour their nations' fallen in graveyards halfway around the world on Anzac Day every April 25 . Prince Charles and Prince Harry attended the dawn service along with political leaders and ministers from New Zealand, Turkey, Ireland, Canada, Nepal, Greece, India and Germany. Mr Key, Mr Abbott, Prince Charles and Prince Harry will attend an Anzac breakfast after the dawn service before heading to the Australian service at Lone Pine and the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. About 130,000 men died during the eight month Gallipoli campaign, including 87,000 Ottoman soldiers, 8700 Australians, 2779 New Zealanders and 21,000 British. People attend an Anzac Day dawn service at the in Delhi War Cemetery in New Delhi on April 25, 2015 . A man holds a little girl's hand as they look at headstones at the in Delhi War Cemetery in New Delhi . A national representative from the Indian Air Force lays a wreath at a monument during an Anzac Day dawn service . This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli land campaign, which began on April 25, 1915 .
Dawn service at Anzac Cove begins as more than 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders gather at formal ceremony .
Thousands attended the Anzac Commemorative Site to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings .
Among those in attendance are Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his New Zealand counterpart John Key .
Prince Charles and Prince Harry also sat alongside the prime ministers at the Gallipoli dawn service .
Mr Abbott said the troops became more than just soldiers as they were the 'founding heroes of modern Australia'