There can be a lot to get your head around coming to a new country.
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To make understanding our history a bit easier, new migrants and humanitarian entrants enjoyed a casual picnic on Wednesday, and over an Anzac biscuit started to connect with the significance of Anzac Day.
Together in Eddison Park, Woden families shared food, chatted about what the Anzac acronym stood for, how soldiers volunteered to fight, where battles were fought in World War I, about the phrase "Lest We Forget" and why Australians baked Anzac biscuits.
Woden Community Service Settlement Grants officer and event organiser Muataza Alwali came to Australia from Sudan in 2006.
She said giving new members of the community the chance to connect with the story behind this and other national days was critical to fostering a sense of belonging.
"If you know the history of the place where you live, what happened before you came there, it makes it easier to fit in and feel connected to what's going on around you," she said.
Indira Gautam, 23, left Nepal last August to start a life with her husband here.
She has been learning and speaking English for several years and said becoming acquainted with various customs and national holidays in Australia had been fun, but also challenging.
"Now I know we celebrate Anzac Day to remember the people who were in the First World War, in Gallipoli, and their memory," she said.
"At home we are part of a big community but here it is just me and my husband, so it's really nice to come together and learn things so we can be more involved in Australian society."
The journey to discover more about about their new home country is harder for those like Hamid Mohamed, who are in Australia on their own awaiting the arrival of loved ones still abroad.
"I came here wanting to be part of this country," Mr Mohamed said. "My wife is still in Sudan and I have applied to bring her here. It is our future here and to be part of society you need to know the history and the values."
Mrs Alwali said many in the group had lived experiences of war and conflict, so introducing Australia's wartime legacy at a laid-back community picnic made it an enjoyable way to engage with the history.
"They are all new in this land so hopefully this will encourage them to ask questions and learn more about the history and culture here," she said.
