Moree, Guyra, Tamworth, Inverell, Quirindi and Gunnedah were some of the towns that held moving services on Thursday morning to mark the day.

The memorials marked 101 years after the end of the first World War and thousands of locals stood side-by-side to pay their respects.

The commemorations paid tribute to the lives of Australian and New Zealand service personnel who fought and were wounded in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations, and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

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"At this hour upon this day, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) received its baptism of fire and became one of the immortal names in history," Roger Butler OAM told the Moree service.

"We who are gathered here think of the comrades who went to the battlefields of all wars, but did not return.

"We feel them still near us in spirit. We wish to be worthy of their great sacrifice. Let us therefore once more dedicate ourselves to the ideals for which they died.

"As the dawn is even now about to pierce the night so let their memory inspire us to work for the coming of new light into the dark places of the world."

Tamworth RSL Sub-Branch President Jayne McCarthy said that it was on this day that "the legend of the ANZAC was born, and the ANZAC tradition was forged".

"Their legacy has become the benchmark of courage, mateship, humour and determination for all to live by, so much so that it has become a part of our national identity, and it is no more apparent than in those who wear a uniform and defend our nation," she said in Tamworth.

Across the addresses, wreathes were laid, the Last Post rung out and a minute silence was marked.