Member for Whitlam Stephen Jones has joined Australian War Memorial Director Dr Brendan Nelson in a visit to the 62,000 Poppies Display in Canberra.

The display of 62,000 handcrafted, red poppies on the Memorial's grounds is the centrepiece of commemorations, symbolically representing Australian lives lost in the First World War.

Mr Nelson said that he personally collected hundreds of the poppies that were crafted by nursing home residents from the Southern Highlands.

Each handcrafted poppy has been created by a volunteer and represents an Australian life lost in the First World War. The names of those lost are individually listed on the Memorials Roll of Honour.

Visitors can walk around the Sculpture Garden on the Memorials western grounds to view this spectacular and moving display between 9am and 10pm until November 11.