Long Tan Cross has found a permanent home at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra

Almost 50 years after it was first erected in a war zone, the memorial to Australian soldiers killed in the country's costliest battle in Vietnam has been unveiled in Canberra to the deep approval of veterans.

Members of the public view the Long Tan Cross at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra Source: AAP

It is literally a concrete reminder of 18 mates lost in the Vietnam War. 

Three metres high and weighing a hundred kilograms, the Long Tan Cross has been unveiled at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

Inscribed on it are the names of 18 Australians who died during the battle at a rubber plantation during a monsoonal storm in 1966.

Dave Sabben, a platoon commander in the battle later awarded the Medal for Gallantry, says he is very appreciative.