Brisbane fills Anzac Square dawn service

Bird calls and drum rolls. These are the sounds that welcomed Anzac Day to Brisbane.

Families, veterans and other locals gathered in a darkened Anzac Square to commemorate the occasion, with the solemn service beginning at 4.28am.

Thousands stood silently at the Shrine of Remembrance as the muffled sound of drummers moving up Adelaide Street mixed with waking wildlife.

Among them was Nate Fealy, of Albany Creek, who spent 15 years in the military including stints in Afghanistan, Timor and Papua New Guinea before departing as a corporal in 2009.

The stoic 39-year-old said attending the dawn service wasn't immediately emotional - but it was a way to reconnect with past comrades.

"It comes later on during the day sometimes," he said, medals displayed proudly on his chest.

"Today is just all about being here for the rest of your mates."

Children were hoisted onto parents' shoulders as the ceremony, also attended by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, got under way.

"This occasion engenders huge emotional effect nationally and individually - and rightly so," Queensland Governor Paul de Jersey told the packed square.

Schoolgirls in the crowd rubbed their eyes as he recounted how the war's initial recruits hoped for adventure and the glory of battle.

"(Eventually) the war's grim reality was plain for everyone to see," he told the large crowd.

As is tradition, the service concluded with the playing of the last post bugle call and the intonation: "Lest we forget".

Mercifully, the birds waited their turn this time.