As veterans gather to mark Anzac Day a Melbourne army psychologist says some will question whether they are worthy of the Anzac legacy.
Tavis Watt has been deployed eight times, from East Timor through to Afghanistan, and says the day brings on mixed emotions for veterans.
"There is the legacy of the 'Anzac spirit', which some soldiers question they are worthy of," Mr Watt told AAP.
"These days can bring back memories of combat, of losing people who are close to them."
The increasing scale of commemorations makes it hard for struggling veterans to avoid.
"Even the football is interwoven into Anzac Day," Mr Watt said.
"It does permeate all aspects of life and you really have to assist them to cope with it in the best way they can."
As a clinical psychologist, Mr Watt has seen the way soldiers approach their mental health change since he was first deployed in 1999.
"Whether they have PTSD symptoms, or anxiety symptoms, or depressive symptoms, they will open up about those and talk," he said.
He's involved with a program that sees veterans take up surfing, bushwalking and canoeing in groups, as the RSL and the Anzac Appeal adapts to deal with younger veterans.
Victoria Police will close roads and shut down tram services in Melbourne, with security tightening two years after a terror threat on the dawn service and just months after a man drove a car into pedestrians in the Bourke Street Mall.
"Given the volume of people coming into the city, police would encourage people to take public transport where possible," Acting Commander Peter O'Neill said.
The event comes after a week in which a fire devastated the Ivanhoe RSL and destroyed historic memorabilia, while a former RSL treasurer pleaded guilty to stealing thousands of dollars from her branch.
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