Malcolm Turnbull has paid tribute to the Australian victims of the 9/11 attacks and committed to standing united in the fight against terror 15 years on.
The prime minister and his wife Lucy toured the New York memorial to the disaster with Australian Consul-General Nick Minchin and its Director of Institutional Advancement Josh Cherwin after flying in on Saturday.
Under a canopy of trees and with a backdrop of flowing water, the group walked slowly past the names of the nearly 3000 victims bordering the two waterfall pools, stopping to reflect on the 10 Australians killed, each marked by a yellow rose.
At the "survivor tree" - a callery pear which was the only tree found at ground zero to have survived the attacks - Mr and Mrs Turnbull placed their hands on a remembrance wreath of yellow roses with a hand-signed card.
The pair went underground to tour the museum, first stopping to see a trident which was part of the original World Trade Centre structure.
A sombre Mr Turnbull put his arm around his wife as they viewed some of the first pictures after the attack projected onto beams, before looking down at the "last column", ceremonially removed from the site and now covered in mementos.
They stood in silence as they read and heard the stories of some of the Australians killed, viewing a gallery of portraits of the victims of the September 11 attacks and 1993 World Trade Centre bombing.
Mr Turnbull wrote a message on a screen to be beamed onto a digital map against Australia.
"The world has changed but the resolute solidarity of free people was not," he said.
"We stand together in the fight against terror."
A clearly impressed Mr Turnbull praised Mr Cherwin for the "extraordinary" museum.
He later told reporters the couple were keen to visit the museum, having already seen the memorial.
"It's a very moving place. It reminds us of tragedy and loss," he said.
