Abbott lays wreath at war memorial

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial as he prepares to leave for Turkey and the centenary commemorations of the Gallipoli landings.

"This will be a very significant time for our country," he told reporters on Tuesday.

Mr Abbott says it's also a time to remember other World War I campaigns in the Middle East and on the Western Front which cost tens of thousands of Australian lives.