Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum

About this Place

Hellfire Pass is the most moving memorial on the Death Railway trail — a rock cutting through solid granite carved by starving Allied POWs working around the clock by torchlight in 1943. The name came from the hellish sight of emaciated prisoners working by firelight that reflected off the rock walls. Managed by the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs, the free museum provides an impeccably curated introduction with photographs and recorded testimonies. A 4km walking trail follows original Death Railway track through the jungle. The preserved rail cutting, carved by hand and dynamite, is deeply affecting. Iron hammer and tapping tools on exhibit. The memorial is 80km northwest of Kanchanaburi — rent a motorbike or take a tour. No road noise, just jungle and history.