It's a week out from Anzac Day, but hand-knitted poppies, tiny flags and heart-felt notes are already sprouting around the gravesites at Gallipoli.
Over 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders are due to descend on the Turkish peninsula on Friday and Saturday, to commemorate 100 years since troops from both countries landed on the beaches to embark on the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign which claimed thousands of lives.
On Sunday, almost a week out from Anzac Day, there were very few Australians or Kiwis visiting Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair or North Beach, but those who did made sure to leave their mark.
Koala toys, printed biographies of fallen soldiers and even a mosaic poppy were left as tributes around the grave sites.
While small numbers of tourists wandered around the sites, Turkish staff worked to set up the area for the commemorations, rigging lighting, moving porta-loos, and fixing up the marble of the Ataturk memorial at Chunuk Bair.
In the nearby town of Eceabat, where stray dogs roam the dusty, paved streets, a number of Turkish tour buses had pulled up - but there was no sign of the visitors.
TJ (Ilhami) Gezici, who runs TJ's Hotel in the small town of 5000 people, said there hadn't been a lot of people through the town ahead of the centenary.
"It's very quiet actually," he told AAP. "Not many Australian and New Zealand tourists come here compared to past years."
But he's expecting visitors to pick up after Anzac Day when people who missed out on the 10,000 ballot tickets visit the area.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Prince Charles and Prince Harry will all be attending the commemorations on Anzac Day.
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