visits by the queen to australia

16 visits over 57 years: reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

Associate Professor of English, Flinders University

Disclosure statement

Giselle Bastin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Flinders University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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“Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth” has died. Given her advanced years, this has long been expected, yet it still seems incredible this woman who has been Australia’s queen for the duration of most Australians’ lives is no longer with us.

While the focus of the formalities and ceremony of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II will centre on London and the UK, there is no doubt it will be keenly observed by many Australians.

The queen liked Australia and Australians. She came here 16 times throughout her reign and was, famously, on her way to our shores in 1952 when she learned her father had passed on and she was now queen.

Her visits to Australia – from her first in 1954 through to her last in 2011 – offer a snapshot of the changing relationship Australians have had with their sovereign and with the monarchy.

An enthusiastic nation

The queen’s 1954 tour took place during a time described by historian Ben Pimlott as the age of “ British Shintoism ”. Deference to the Crown was paramount in Britain and the Commonwealth, and many Australians were madly enthusiastic about their queen.

After her arrival at Farm Cove in Sydney on February 3 1954, Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to set foot on Australian soil. The royal tour lasted nearly two months and consisted of a gruelling schedule taking in visits to every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory.

During the tour, the queen greeted over 70,000 ex-service men and women; drove in cavalcades that took in massive crowds; attended numerous civic receptions; and opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The tour saw Elizabeth travel 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 miles by road – including 207 trips by car and by appointed royal trains.

It is estimated as much as 75% of the population saw the queen and Prince Philip during this tour.

No Australian prime minister has ever had a reception on this scale or exposure to so many of the country’s citizens.

A “new” and prosperous country

During her first two tours in 1954 and 1963, the Australia laid-out for display for the queen was depicted as having gone from being a small colonial settlement to a thriving economy that had ridden to prosperity “ on the sheep’s back ”.

The queen was treated to endless displays of sheep shearing, surf carnivals, wood chopping, whip cracking, and mass displays of dancing and singing by school children. Federal and state dignitaries, mayors and civic leaders from across the political divide jostled to meet and be seen with her; the country’s florists were emptied of flowers for the hundreds of bouquets presented to her by dozens of shy, nervous school children nudged gently forward by awe-struck parents.

During the early tours, Aboriginal Australians were kept at a discreet distance. Apart from a demonstration of boomerang and spear throwing, the closest the queen came to experiencing anything of Indigenous Australian culture was a ballet performed by the Arts Council Ballet titled Corroboree, with no Aboriginal dancers but dancers with blackened faces.

During the 1970 visit, the queen witnessed the re-enactment of Captain James Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay, with Cook and his crew meeting “the resistance of the Aborigines with a volley of musket fire”.

By 1973, Indigenous Australians were given a more significant role in the royal tours. Aboriginal actor Ben Blakeney, one of Bennelong’s descendants, gave the official welcome during the opening of the Sydney Opera House, and the then unknown actor David Gulpilil was among those performing a ceremonial dance.

Invited guest, not ruler of the land

As early as the 1963 tour, the nation-wide royal fervour had dimmed a little. The 1963 visit witnessed smaller crowds and fewer mass public events. When Prime Minister Robert Menzies courted the queen with the now-famous line, “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”, the ensuing blushes – including the queen’s own – reflected many Australians’ growing sense of embarrassment at public displays and unquestioning expressions of deference.

Despite this, Menzies’ displays of public ardour saw him being granted The Order of the Thistle shortly after, a bestowal which must surely remain the envy of some subsequent prime ministers.

The 1977 Silver Jubilee and 1988 Australian bicentenary visits perhaps marked the end of a period of royal tours as overt celebrations of Australia’s ties to Britain. This new flavour of tours positioned the sovereign as an invited guest to an independent, modern and multi-cultural nation.

On her 10th tour in 1986, the queen returned to sign the Australia Act , which brought to an end the ability of the UK to create laws for Australia.

Her role as our sovereign subtly transformed from cutting ribbons and opening Parliament to signing the documents that slowly, by degrees, contributed to the cutting of Australia’s ties to the UK and the Crown.

A question of the republic

By the 12th tour in 1992, the cost of the queen’s visits to Australia were increasingly scrutinised by a public feeling largely indifferent about the royal family. The prime minister of the day, Paul Keating, was seen not so much as an entranced liege lord revelling in the opportunity to see his sovereign “passing by” as one who instead – unthinkingly – committed an act of lèse majesté by placing his bare hand on the royal back and waist as he guided her through the crowd.

The gloves, it seemed, were coming off.

The queen made it clear in her last visits to our shores that whether or not Australia should become a republic was a decision for its own citizens to make. Her official announcement after she learned of the result of the 1999 Republic Referendum confirmed this:

I have always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means. … My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.

In the last decades of her life, the queen retained the affection of many. Her popularity seemed to grow in line with Australians’ increased disenchantment with their home-grown political leaders: the former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Julia Gillard are right to have sensed that any discussion about an Australian republic would have to wait until after Elizabeth II’s death.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned across seven decades and her tours to Australia served as a marker of Australia’s changing relationship with the Crown as well as with its own colonial past and national identity.

Almost certainly, Elizabeth II’s reign as the stalwart, loyal, dutiful, and most cherished and admired of “Glorianas” is one we are unlikely ever to see again.

Correction: the article previously stated the queen was on her way to Australia in 1953 when she learned of her father’s death. This has been corrected to 1952.

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In pictures: A look back at Queen Elizabeth II's visits to Australia during her 70-year reign - as nation mourns her death

Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia 16 times during her long reign, including to open the Sydney Opera House in 1973, Parliament House in 1988 and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.  

Queen Elizabeth II's "deep affection" for Australia is being remembered as the nation mourns her death aged 96.

Her Majesty died "peacefully" at her Balmoral home in Scotland on Thursday afternoon (local time) surrounded by close family members. 

She was the first reigning sovereign to visit Australia, making a total of 16 trips Down Under during her 70-year reign, the longest in British history.

The Queen's visits included opening the Sydney Opera House in 1973, Darling Harbour in 1988 and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.  

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She first visited in 1954, two years after ascending to the throne following the death of her father King George VI, and made her last visit in 2011.

More than seven million Australians, or 70 per cent of the country's population at the time, turned out to catch a glimpse of the young Queen during her first visit. 

"From her famous first trip to Australia, the only reigning sovereign to ever visit, it was clear Her Majesty held a special place in her heart for Australia," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

"Fifteen more tour before cheering crowds in every part of our country confirmed the special place she held in ours."

On a visit in 1988, the Queen opened the new Parliament House in Canberra, with the parliament's website on Friday stating: "She had a deep affection for Australia and its people, visiting on many occasions to perform official functions".  

"The Parliament of Australia sends its deepest condolences to her family and will commemorate her life in coming days."

Her majesty's 12 visits to New South Wales featured trips to country towns including Tamworth and Wagga Wagga. 

"As the first reigning monarch to visit our nation, Queen Elizabeth set foot for the first time on Australian soil in 1954 at Farm Cove in Sydney Harbour where an unprecedented crowd of more than one million people greeted her," NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said. 

"The public's overwhelming jubilation and enthusiasm at seeing the young monarch was the beginning of the state's long-held joy in her frequent visits.

"Her Late Majesty will forever be connected to pivotal moments in our State's history. She officially opened the Parliament of New South Wales in 1954, Sydney Opera House in 1973, Parramatta Stadium in 1986, and Darling Harbour in 1988.

"She also visited NSW regional areas including Newcastle, Lismore, Orange, Dubbo, Armidale, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga, drawing huge crowds of well-wishers."

The Queen visited Victoria 11 times, with Premier Daniel Andrews saying "during those trips, she left her mark on the state we know today".

"She talked with patients and families at the Royal Children's – and opened our Commonwealth Games," Mr Andrews said. 

"She rode a tram around the Hoddle grid, watched Richmond win at the MCG, and caught a show at the Princess Theatre.

"She travelled across the state – visiting Tatura, Echuca, Rochester, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Ballarat and Geelong - touching so much of what makes Victoria special.

"Her historic reign and long life has come to an end, but Victorians’ deep affection and respect for Her Majesty lives on."

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk noted Her Majesty visited the state "often and displayed her care and concern for the people of this state, especially during times of natural disasters".

Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan said the Queen will forever be an inspiration to the state's residents. 

"Most Western Australians have never known another monarch, with Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning British monarch," Mr McGowan said. 

"She led the Commonwealth through some of the darkest days and will forever be an inspiration to the world and Western Australia, a State she visited seven times."

South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas said: "Her Majesty's great fondness and interest in the welfare of South Australians was evident through her seven visits to our state during her reign". 

"Her Majesty's first visit to South Australia was with the late Duke of Edinburgh in March 1954," Mr Malinauskas said.  

"Some 200,000 people lined the route from the Parafield Airport, where they were met by the Premier, Tom Playford at Government House. Her last visit to South Australia was in February 2002."

Commonwealth countries will observe 10 days of mourning and remembrance in the period between the Queen's death and her funeral. However, in Australia there will not be a limit placed on mourning of the Queen.

The Prime Minister will declare a day of National Memorial Service and a National Day of mourning as he suspended parliament for at least a fortnight.

Mr Albanese and the Governor-General will travel to London in the coming days to meet with King Charles III, as they offer condolences on behalf of Australia.

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Home News Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

While the focus of the formalities and ceremony of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II will centre on London and the UK, there is no doubt it will be keenly observed by many Australians.

The queen liked Australia and Australians. She came here 16 times throughout her reign and was, famously, on her way to our shores in 1953 when she learned her father had passed on and she was now queen.

Her visits to Australia – from her first in 1954 through to her last in 2011 – offer a snapshot of the changing relationship Australians have had with their sovereign and with the monarchy.

An enthusiastic nation

The queen’s 1954 tour took place during a time described by historian Ben Pimlott as the age of “ British Shintoism ”. Deference to the Crown was paramount in Britain and the Commonwealth, and many Australians were madly enthusiastic about their queen.

After her arrival at Farm Cove in Sydney on February 3 1954, Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to set foot on Australian soil. The royal tour lasted nearly two months and consisted of a gruelling schedule taking in visits to every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory.

During the tour, the queen greeted over 70,000 ex-service men and women; drove in cavalcades that took in massive crowds; attended numerous civic receptions; and opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The tour saw Elizabeth travel 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 miles by road – including 207 trips by car and by appointed royal trains.

It is estimated as much as 75% of the population saw the queen and Prince Philip during this tour.

No Australian prime minister has ever had a reception on this scale or exposure to so many of the country’s citizens.

A “new” and prosperous country

During her first two tours in 1954 and 1963, the Australia laid-out for display for the queen was depicted as having gone from being a small colonial settlement to a thriving economy that had ridden to prosperity “ on the sheep’s back ”.

The queen was treated to endless displays of sheep shearing, surf carnivals, wood chopping, whip cracking, and mass displays of dancing and singing by school children. Federal and state dignitaries, mayors and civic leaders from across the political divide jostled to meet and be seen with her; the country’s florists were emptied of flowers for the hundreds of bouquets presented to her by dozens of shy, nervous school children nudged gently forward by awe-struck parents.

During the early tours, Aboriginal Australians were kept at a discreet distance. Apart from a demonstration of boomerang and spear throwing, the closest the queen came to experiencing anything of Indigenous Australian culture was a ballet performed by the Arts Council Ballet titled Corroboree, with no Aboriginal dancers but dancers with blackened faces.

During the 1970 visit, the queen witnessed the re-enactment of Captain James Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay, with Cook and his crew meeting “the resistance of the Aborigines with a volley of musket fire”.

By 1973, Indigenous Australians were given a more significant role in the royal tours. Aboriginal actor Ben Blakeney, one of Bennelong’s descendants, gave the official welcome during the opening of the Sydney Opera House, and the then unknown actor David Gulpilil was among those performing a ceremonial dance.

Invited guest, not ruler of the land

As early as the 1963 tour, the nation-wide royal fervour had dimmed a little. The 1963 visit witnessed smaller crowds and fewer mass public events. When Prime Minister Robert Menzies courted the queen with the now-famous line, “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”, the ensuing blushes – including the queen’s own – reflected many Australians’ growing sense of embarrassment at public displays and unquestioning expressions of deference.

Despite this, Menzies’ displays of public ardour saw him being granted The Order of the Thistle shortly after, a bestowal which must surely remain the envy of some subsequent prime ministers.

The 1977 Silver Jubilee and 1988 Australian bicentenary visits perhaps marked the end of a period of royal tours as overt celebrations of Australia’s ties to Britain. This new flavour of tours positioned the sovereign as an invited guest to an independent, modern and multi-cultural nation.

On her 10th tour in 1986, the queen returned to sign the Australia Act , which brought to an end the ability of the UK to create laws for Australia.

Her role as our sovereign subtly transformed from cutting ribbons and opening Parliament to signing the documents that slowly, by degrees, contributed to the cutting of Australia’s ties to the UK and the Crown.

A question of the republic

By the 12th tour in 1992, the cost of the queen’s visits to Australia were increasingly scrutinised by a public feeling largely indifferent about the royal family. The prime minister of the day, Paul Keating, was seen not so much as an entranced liege lord revelling in the opportunity to see his sovereign “passing by” as one who instead – unthinkingly – committed an act of lèse majesté by placing his bare hand on the royal back and waist as he guided her through the crowd.

The gloves, it seemed, were coming off.

The queen made it clear in her last visits to our shores that whether or not Australia should become a republic was a decision for its own citizens to make. Her official announcement after she learned of the result of the 1999 Republic Referendum confirmed this:

I have always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means. … My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.

In the last decades of her life, the queen retained the affection of many. Her popularity seemed to grow in line with Australians’ increased disenchantment with their home-grown political leaders: the former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Julia Gillard are right to have sensed that any discussion about an Australian republic would have to wait until after Elizabeth II’s death.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned across seven decades and her tours to Australia served as a marker of Australia’s changing relationship with the Crown as well as with its own colonial past and national identity.

Almost certainly, Elizabeth II’s reign as the stalwart, loyal, dutiful, and most cherished and admired of “Glorianas” is one we are unlikely ever to see again.

This article is republished from The Co nversation under a Creative Commons license.

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2024 Royal Visit

Royal Visit to Australia by His Majesty King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla.

Their Majesties will visit Australia from 18 to 23 October 2024. This will be The King’s first visit to Australia as Sovereign.

The King and Queen will travel to the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales as part of this visit. Buckingham Palace has announced details of the program.

Details about where to see The King and Queen will be released closer to the visit.

The King’s Previous Visits to Australia

King Charles III has visited Australia 16 times. In 1966 at age 17, His Majesty completed two terms as an exchange student at Timbertop, Geelong Grammar School in Victoria. His Majesty’s most recent visit occurred in 2018, when he opened the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen’s Previous Visits to Australia

Queen Camilla has visited Australia three times between 2012 and 2018. In 2012, as The Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Camilla visited Australia as Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II’s personal representative as part of the Diamond Jubilee year celebrations. In 2018, Queen Camilla returned to Australia alongside King Charles as a representative of Queen Elizabeth II to open the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

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King Charles and Queen Camilla confirm visit to Australia and Samoa in October

Topic: Royalty

The official Australian portraits of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. ( Photograph by Millie Pilkington 2024 )

King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit New South Wales and the ACT in October this year. 

The royals will also attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. 

What's next? 

The royal family said further details of the visit would be announced "in due course". 

King Charles and Queen Camilla have announced they will visit Australia and Samoa in October. 

A statement from the royal family confirmed the king and queen's visit would include engagements in Canberra and New South Wales, with further details to be announced "in due course". 

The royals will also attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which will be held in Samoa between October 21 and 25. 

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the king was planning a visit to Australia.

King Charles and Camilla last visited Australia in 2018.  ( ABC News: Lucy Murray )

Preparations began for a royal visit, however they were thrown into doubt by the king's cancer diagnosis .

It marks the first visit to Australia from a reigning monarch since Queen Elizabeth II visited Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth in 2011 , and the first from a new monarch since her visit in 1954.

She visited Australia 16 times while reigning. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla last visited Australia in 2018 when the Commonwealth Games were hosted on the Gold Coast. The pair also visited the Northern Territory.

It was the latest of 15 visits by King Charles to Australia in an official capacity. 

The visit will also be historical for Samoa, who are the first Pacific nation to host CHOGM.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Brisbane as part of their tour in 2011. ( AAP: Lyndon Mechielsen )

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The Queen in Australia

Since her very first visit to Australia in 1954 to her last in 2011, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, has captivated crowds across our nation.

Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to set foot on our shores and the visit was beautifully captured in the documentary The Queen in Australia . The film was designed to show that, despite post-war changes to Australia’s political, social and demographic landscapes, the nation was proud to belong to the Commonwealth and its citizens held a deep affection for their monarch.

The film shows sequences of the young Queen opening Parliament in Canberra, attending the races at Royal Randwick and enjoying a surf lifesaving carnival at Bondi Beach. Queen Elizabeth also made time to speak to isolated families via the Royal Flying Doctor Service radio. 

The Queen returned to Australia another 15 times since that tour and her ability to win over the Australian people is as strong as ever. At the NFSA we have a wealth of material documenting the monarch's official tours and this collection includes just some of the many highlights. 

Main image: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II tours Queensland in 1970. Courtesy Queensland State Archives.

The Queen In Australia (1954)

The first feature documentary made in colour in Australia, documenting the very first visit of a reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1954.

The film was shot by a total of 16 cameramen, capturing her visits to each state capital and many regional areas over her two-month official visit. Major sequences include the arrival of the Royal Navy ship SS Gothic in Sydney Harbour, the Queen opening the 20th Australian Parliament in Canberra, attending a cricket Test in Adelaide, horse races at Royal Randwick and Flemington, tennis at Kooyong in Melbourne, and major exhibitions by schoolchildren in several cities. 

The result is a remarkable and revealing insight into our nation in the 1950s.

The Queen Returns

In February 1963, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh returned to Australia for the Jubilee Year of Canberra.

The film follows them on their 9,000 mile tour and shows the beauty and variety of the Australian scene, and thriving development ranging from hydroelectric schemes to universities.

The Queen's Australian tour in early 1963 provides the medium for three neatly blended films illustrating the tour itself, a history of Canberra and an introduction to Australia and its people at work and play.

The main features of the tour are depicted in some detail, while in the section dealing with the history of Canberra the highlights in the development of this city are portrayed in film flashbacks. The final sections show Australians at work.

The Queen in Australia: Surf Carnival at Bondi Beach (1954)

At Bondi Beach, the Queen observes an Australian surf carnival, a gathering of teams from surf clubs around the country and New Zealand, all wearing the traditional neck-to-knee surfing costume that was required just after the turn of the century, when Australian surf clubs began.

After the traditional march past, the lifesavers take to the water to give a demonstration of rescue techniques, using both hollow surfboards and surfboats, but the heavy seas play havoc with their plans.

Notes by Beth Taylor

The Queen and Prince Philip arrive at the Sydney Opera House (1973)

The Queen and Prince Philip waving to large crowds as they arrive by car at the official opening ceremony of the Sydney Opera House on October 20, 1973.  

Heir to the Throne: Princess Elizabeth's speech on her 21st Birthday

In this clip from the 1947 film Heir to the Throne , Princess Elizabeth made her most famous pledge, which still rings true today: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.’

Written by journalist for The Times and royal correspondent Dermot Morrah, the speech was delivered on her 21st birthday while she was on a three-month tour of Southern Africa with her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and sister Princess Margaret.

While seated in the grounds of Tuynhuys in the shadow of Table Mountain in Cape Town, the young Princess used the medium of radio and film, to confidently communicate to her future subjects that the priority of her future reign would be of service to her country and the Commonwealth.

One would argue that The Queen has kept this promise tenfold. During her reign she has been patron of over 600 organisations and charities, attended thousands of official engagements and toured every country in the Commonwealth.

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HM Queen Elizabeth II - A Christmas message to the Commonwealth

HM Queen Elizabeth II delivers the 1952 Christmas message.

Schoolchildren celebrate The Queen's Coronation

This newsreel item from 1953 shows the activities of schoolchildren in Australia anticipating the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on 2 June 1953 .

In Melbourne, we see schoolchildren looking at an exhibition of dolls dressed in royal regalia. The proceeds from the exhibition are going to the Queen Elizabeth Child Health Centre.

At Newport in Sydney, children – resplendent in carefully constructed replica gowns – re-enact the coronation in the grounds of their school.

At Fort Street School in Sydney, 11-year-old Kay Hogden is confidently reciting her speech, the recording of which is promptly flown to London and broadcast on the BBC before the coronation.

Queen Elizabeth opens Victorian Parliament (1954)

Sir Robert Menzies' home movie collection includes this footage of the Royal tour in 1954.

It shows the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, by car outside the Parliament of Victoria on 25 February 1954. They alight from the car and walk up some stairs on the red carpet past a guard of honour and surrounded by a huge crowd. The clip ends with a close-up of the Royal Standard flag.

Ex-servicemen rally at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (1954)

This home movie clip by Sir Robert Menzies, begins with an excited crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

They stand and take off their hats on the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, by car to the stadium. They drive past children waving flags and they meet the official party. They are lead up onto a stage where they address the crowd.

Dedication of the Shrine of Remembrance (1954)

Sir Robert Menzies' home movie footage of Queen Elizabeth II arriving with Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne.

They walk through the crowd to the forecourt where they commemorate those who served in the Second World War by the Eternal Flame. Ex-servicemen and children also arrive for the dedication of the shrine forecourt. The Australian flag is shown hanging next to the Union Jack. 

Royal Silver Jubilee Exhibition Train (1977)

A look back to 1977 and the touring museum of 700 years of British history that was the Royal Silver Jubilee Exhibition Train.

The film shows many of the exhibits and the stories behind them, and follows the progress of the train's 11,250 kilometre trip throughout Australia hauling what was then valued at $100 million worth of treasures.

The bullet that killed Lord Nelson, Queen Elizabeth I's gloves, Princess Anne's wedding dress and Nell Gwynn's silver bellows were among the exhibits on this four-carriage train, the first mobile museum of its kind in the world.

Over a period of four months the train visited 26 centres between Brisbane and Perth and this film records the unique and ambitious project. 

Queen Elizabeth at Flemington races (1954)

Home movie footage by Sir Robert Menzies of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their arrival at Flemington horse races. Queen Elizabeth II watches the race through her binoculars, a close-up of the official party is shown – including Menzies on the right – and then they leave by walking down a path amongst the crowd.

The Queen officially opens the Sydney Opera House (1973)

Queen Elizabeth II with other dignitaries including Prince Phillip on stage, for the opening ceremony of the Sydney Opera House on 20 October 1973.

The ceremony included a display of fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No 9. Thousands of people celebrated the ceremony along the shoreline and in boats on the harbour, while another 3 million people all over the world viewed the proceedings on television.

Jubilee and Beyond: Her gracious Majesty (1977)

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, and His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, visit Victoria in 1977. We see them disembark from their plane to be greeted by dignitaries and a crowd of children waving flags. They move through the crowd, stopping to talk to particular children.

Eighteen thousand schoolchildren greeted the Royal visitors that day, giving a sense of the relationship between Australia and the UK at this time.

Jubilee and Beyond: Reign over us (1977)

A crowd of eighteen thousand people greet the Queen in Royal Park Victoria in 1977. The royal party stands on the dais while 'God Save the Queen’ is sung by the massed crowd. The royal party then drive, waving, through crowds of cheering children to the strains of 'Waltzing Matilda’.

Waterloo: Queen in Waterloo

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh officially open the Housing Commission’s tower blocks in Waterloo. Residents’ furniture was removed from four units and temporarily replaced with hired new furniture before the royal couple inspected the units. The residents’ furniture was returned after the visit. Summary by Damien Parer .

Seven News Perth: Great Aussie BBQ for The Queen

Seven News reporter Chris Reason follows Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip for the final day of their 11-day tour of Australia in 2011 on which they are treated to the most Australian of traditions. The big Aussie barbecue on the Swan River foreshore attracted tens of thousands of well-wishers, with people of all ages coming out to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple.

Before addressing the crowd, the Queen and Prince Philip stopped by the barbecues and spoke with volunteers who were cooking up sausages to raise money for charity.

Heir to the Throne: Young Elizabeth

Excerpt from the BBC film Heir to the Throne , showing Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret with their parents. 

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation - Souvenir film and Cineviewer

Original cardboard box with an image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the title The Film Story of the Coronation.  

Inside is a red marble effect hand held film strip cine viewer, a 35mm film strip of The Crown Jewels  and a 35mm film strip of The Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2 June 1953 Westminster Abbey London .

Menzies RG: Our Coronation Tour - Coronation and procession

This clip from a home movie, filmed by Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, shows Queen Elizabeth II arriving at Westminster Abbey in a horse-drawn carriage. She alights from the carriage surrounded by her Maids of Honour and enters the Abbey. The Groom of the Robes delivers the Robe Royal of Pall cloth of gold with the Stole Royal to the Dean of Westminster, who, assisted by the Mistress of the Robes, puts it upon the Queen. The Lord Great Chamberlain fastens the clips.

The Archbishop of Canterbury gives the Sceptre and then the Rod with the Dove to the Queen. The Archbishop then lowers a crown onto her head then kisses her right hand. The Duke of Edinburgh then ascends the steps of the Throne, and having taken off his coronet, kneels down and places his hands between the Queen’s and says the words of Homage. Then Her Majesty leaves the Chapel wearing her Crown and bearing the Sceptre and the Orb.  Summary by Elizabeth Taggart- Speers .

Glass slide of Queen Elizabeth II

This hand-coloured glass cinema slide shows The Queen in one of her first official portraits as taken by society photographer Dorothy Wilding.

She is wearing the Diamond Diadem, a necklace gifted to her as a wedding present by the Nizam of Hyderabad and finished with a brocade gown designed by couturier Norman Hartnell. Hartnell created her wedding dress and would eventually design her coronation dress.

The Queen is presented as elegant and refined, yet fresh and youthful: the fitting monarch for a post-war age. The slide was shown prior to film screenings and was one of the many ways the Queen made her image accessible to her subjects across the Commonwealth.

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The Royal Family in Australia

From Bondi Beach surf carnivals to Parliamentary openings, explore some rare footage from our collection of the Royal Family in Australia. 

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia acknowledges Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and gives respect to their Elders both past and present.

Enter the NFSA Our Statement of Reflection

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Inside King Charles and Queen Camilla’s upcoming visit to Australia

After months of asking would they or wouldn’t they visit Australia thanks to King Charles’ 2024 cancer diagnosis, it has been confirmed that the new monarch and Queen Camilla are headed Down Under in October.

The news was shared by Buckingham Palace in July but details about the trip have been a closely guarded secret- until now!

See below for all the details we know about the upcoming visit.

Is King Charles coming to Australia in 2024?

King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in Australia on the evening of October 18.

The trip will be a short one as the sovereign continues to be treated for an undisclosed form of cancer he was diagnosed with at the start of the year.

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The visit will conclude on October 23 when the King and Queen will head off to Samoa to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

“The Royal Visit is an opportunity to showcase the best of Australia – our rich culture, our sense of community, and contributions to science, research and global progress,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said ahead of the visit.

“His Majesty first visited Australia in 1966, and has a strong personal affection for our nation. We are delighted that His Majesty is recovering well and has made visiting Australia once again a priority.”

Where is King Charles visiting in Australia?

Their Majesties will undertake a number of engagements in Canberra and Sydney.

On the agenda while in the ACT is paying their respects by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial.

The King and Queen will also visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens, where they will meet with staff and volunteers to discuss the global impacts of climate change, a cause that Charles has long been at the forefront of.

While in Sydney, the royal couple will conduct a Fleet Review of the Royal Australian Navy, and attend a community BBQ celebrating Australia’s cultural diversity and showcasing quality produce from across New South Wales.

Making the most of their time, the pair split up in order to make several visits that are in line with their individual interests.

The King will learn about the ground-breaking cancer research led by Australians of the Year, Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO. He will also meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives and groups to learn about their work in supporting local community and strengthening culture.

The Queen will visit a library and meet children participating in a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop.

Has King Charles ever visited Australia?

The October 2024 visit will be the first since Charles became King following his ascension to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, on September 8, 2022.

However, he is no stranger to our shores and his been here on 15 official visits in the past.

Charles and Camilla last visited as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in 2018 where he opened the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The King also attended the prestigious Geelong Grammar School for a term in 1966.

Charles also visited with the late Princess Diana in 1983, which also happened to be the first royal tour a baby Prince William went on.

It was reported in 2020 that William and wife, Princess Catherine, were also headed to our shores but this trip was delayed by the pandemic and Kate’s cancer diagnosi s.

Looking for more Royal content. Head to the  WHO Royals section .

Kylie is WHO’s Senior News and Features Writer and resident royal expert. After a decade in recruiting, Kylie fulfilled all of her teenage dreams by picking up a gig as the editorial coordinator at Girlfriend and she has never looked back. After short stints working on real-life magazine titles, that’s life! and Take 5, and at Daily Mail Australia, Kylie was head-hunted to work on WHO and joined the team in 2020. Her career highlight was writing a special on-the-ground report for WHO from London when she attended King Charles’ coronation in 2023. A specialist in royal reporting, her area of expertise often sees Kylie contribute to other Are media publications and she has written on the topic for marie claire Australia, Royals Monthly, TV Week and The Australian Women’s Weekly. When not writing, you’ll find Kylie watching Bridgerton or searching for the world’s best high tea spot.

Related stories

King and Queen to visit Australia and Samoa - but not New Zealand

The King's trip to Australia and Samoa had "subtle adjustments" made to it so the monarch, who revealed he had cancer in February, has time to rest.

Royal correspondent @laurabundock

Tuesday 10 September 2024 20:48, UK

Buckingham Palace has released details of King and Queen's tour of Australia and Samoa, but the trip will not include New Zealand.

An earlier plan to include a visit to New Zealand had to be cancelled "on doctor's advice", with "tough decisions" taken on the remainder of the programme for the trip, which will take place from 18-26 October.

With the King 's ongoing cancer treatment, "subtle adjustments" have been made to the busy schedule to allow time for rest.

The King and Queen's nine-day trip will take in Sydney, Canberra and Apia to "celebrate the best" of both Australia and Samoa.

It will be the King's 17th official trip to Australia and his first to Samoa.

Australia will also be the first Commonwealth realm he has visited as monarch.

The couple will carry out a number of engagements, many of which will reflect their personal interests.

In Canberra, they will be welcomed to the Australian parliament by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has long-standing republican views.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

They will also lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial, and visit the "For our Country" memorial, dedicated to the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

The royal couple will attend a barbeque in Sydney and visit the iconic opera house perched on the harbour.

And perhaps most poignantly the King, who revealed he had cancer in February, will meet two cancer doctors. Both are Australians of the Year who were recognised for their work on skin cancer.

Australia currently has the world's highest rates of melanoma.

Read more: King attends church on second anniversary of late Queen's death Kate 'focused on staying cancer free'

After the Australian leg of the tour, the couple will travel to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

This will be the first time the King has attended as head of the Commonwealth, a role he took over from the late Queen Elizabeth II.

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Some had questioned whether this trip would take place after the King announced his cancer diagnosis in February.

His only overseas visit since then was to Normandy in June for the D-Day commemorations.

A state banquet isn't part of the schedule, but the King will host a black-tie and traditional dress dinner for Commonwealth leaders.

Although the King and Queen will meet members of the public, palace officials have been advised against using the term "walkabout" which has a very different meaning for indigenous Australians.

For indigenous people, a "walkabout" is a rite of passage to mark one's shift from adolescence to adulthood.

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Visit to Australia by Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, along with the Governor-General Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, will welcome Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Australia in October this year.

This will be The King’s first visit to Australia as Sovereign.

The King shares a long history with and affection for Australia, having previously made 15 official visits to our nation and having visited every state and territory.

During this visit, The King and Queen will travel to the Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales.

Official Australian portraits of The King and Queen have now been released and can be downloaded from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

In the official portraits, The King wears The Sovereign’s Badge of the Order of Australia, while The Queen wears the Wattle Brooch which was gifted to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to Australia in 1954.

Australians can request printed versions of the portraits through their Federal Member of the House of Representatives or Senator in their state or territory.

Planning is currently underway for the Royal Visit, and more information will be provided in due course.

Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:

“I am honoured to welcome The King and Queen on their first Royal Visit to Australia later this year, they are always welcome visitors. “The King has a deep regard for our great nation, and has always spoken warmly of the time he has spent here and the astounding beauty of our extraordinary continent. “I look forward welcoming The King and Queen back to Australia for this important visit.”

'Difficult decisions' made for King and Queen's Australian royal tour due health and age, but the visit should be celebrated

By Natalie Oliveri | 6 days ago

Australia will get its first official royal tour next month since Prince Harry and Meghan visited our shores six years ago, as King Charles and Queen Camilla reveal the dates of their long-awaited visit.

The monarch and his wife will be in Sydney and Canberra for the brief tour from October 18 until the 23rd.

It has been drastically scaled back due to the King's ongoing treatment for cancer with a number of accommodations made on medical advice to ensure Charles, 75, is able to "preserve his energies".

READ MORE: William and Kate's unprecedented new approach to royal life revealed

Despite having just four days of engagements, the King and Queen's tour will be historic and will pack a punch. And it should be celebrated.

It comes at a pivotal time for the monarchy during a turbulent year that has seen two of its most senior members side-lined due to health reasons.

It's also a crucial part of the royal family's long and strong relationship with Australia, particularly as the push for a republic gained momentum following the end of Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year reign. 

As the late monarch used to say, "We have to be seen to be believed".

READ MORE: William says Kate has 'a long way to go' on her cancer recovery

The King will visit Australia for the first time as sovereign and head of state, and His Majesty's first to a Commonwealth country as head of the organisation created by his late mother.

It will also be the monarch's first long-haul tour abroad since his diagnosis with cancer earlier this year.

As such, the usual jam-packed itinerary of royal visits looks remarkably different and the palace concedes "difficult decisions" had to be made.

The King and Queen are expected to meet with members of the public in Sydney and in Canberra, but the popular 'walkabout' will be called something different for the first time, out of respect to Australia's indigenous communities.

The term was first coined during the late Queen's 1970 tour of Australia and New Zealand, to celebrate the bicentenary of Captain Cook's landing.

READ MORE: 'Walkabout' to be scrapped during King's tour of Australia

It allowed for members of the royal family to depart from protocol and meet ordinary people, not just officials.

The tour will begin with the King and Queen's arrival on the evening of Friday October 18.

They will have a rest day on the Saturday, with no engagements planned for now.

Depending on the King's health, he might choose to add events to his schedule.

However, the palace previously warned the couple's itinerary "will be subject to doctors' advice", and it may be modified should health grounds require it.

READ MORE: Why Prince Andrew won't leave the Royal Lodge voluntarily

Events will start on Sunday October 20 in Sydney, before moving to Canberra on Monday October 21. The King and Queen will return to Sydney on Tuesday October 22 for their final full day.

Their Majesties will depart Australia for Samoa on Wednesday October 23.

While in Australia, the King's schedule will not include evening engagements due to his health and age, in a marked departure from past tours.

The King and Queen will also divide and conquer, allowing them to attend as many events as possible in the limited time they have.

In Sydney, itinerary highlights include time on Sydney Harbour for a Fleet Review of the Royal Australian Navy, along with a visit to the Opera House.

The King and Queen will attend a community barbeque in western Sydney, in what is expected to be one of the more colourful events of the tour, highlighting cultural diversity and food producers from across NSW.

Camilla is due to meet school children participating in a Queen's Commonwealth Essay Competition, promoting her devotion to literacy.

The King will undertake several engagements relating to cancer including a meeting with Australians of the Year Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer, who were recognised for their pivotal work on melanoma, one of Australia's most common cancers.

In Canberra, the King and Queen will lay a wreath at the Australian War Memorial and attend a reception with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – a self-professed republican –at Parliament House.

Queen Camilla will attend an event relating to her continued awareness of domestic and family violence, a cause she has championed throughout her royal career .

Following the Australian leg, the King and Queen will attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa's capital.

Their Majesties were originally hoping to visit New Zealand, too, but that had to be cancelled.

A Buckingham palace spokesman said of the tour's reduced itinerary: "We've had to, as you would with any visit, think about how you can ensure Their Majesties' energies are preserved to be at their best.

"There had been some hope earlier in the year for Their Majesties to be able to visit New Zealand.

"On doctor's advice, and in close consultation with the Australian and New Zealand governments, that wasn't able to take place.

"We've had to make some difficult decisions about the programme with the Australian government, about where Their Majesties can get to."

Royal tours are often crammed with events from morning until evening and coupled with the time zone difference, long-haul flight and different climate, it can be gruelling on anyone let alone a couple in their late 70s.

The King will turn 76 on November 14.

King Charles and Queen Camilla's tour follows a long history of royal visits to Australia , following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II, who visited 16 times during her record-breaking reign.

Confirmation of the tour comes after several years of speculation about a royal visit Down Under.

It will be the first by the King and Queen since the coronation in May 2023.

The royal family had come under some criticism for ignoring Australia in 2022 during celebrations for Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, which saw members dispatched across the Commonwealth.

The then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – now Prince and Princess of Wales – visited the Caribbean , as did Sophie the now-Duchess of Edinburgh. Charles and Camilla were sent to Canada to represent the Crown.

The October visit to Australia will be Charles' 16th time in Australia in an official capacity, which will see His Majesty tie with his late mother in terms of visits.

The last time he was here was in 2018 for the Commonwealth Games, an event which came just months before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Australian tour .

Prince William and Kate last visited in 2014.

The most recent visit by a reigning monarch was in 2011 when Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II toured with the Duke of Edinburgh. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla, no doubt, want to ensure Australia's continued allegiance to the Crown and have now made the biggest move yet in doing just that.

A successful visit can do wonders for the royal family's popularity and the King obviously knows this.

Having been at the ceremony when Barbados transitioned to a republic in 2021, he's understandably keen to keep Australia part of the realm.

And he's definitely not letting his health, or advancing age, get in the way of duty.

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King's Australia trip will be biggest since cancer diagnosis

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will sample a traditional barbecue, along with more formal ceremonial duties, when they visit Australia next month.

The visit will be the King's biggest overseas trip since he began treatment for cancer in February.

Running from 18 to 26 October, it will include a review of the Australian naval fleet in Sydney harbour as well as meetings with political leaders and two award-winning cancer experts.

After the Australian leg of the trip, the King and Queen will travel to Samoa for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting.

The King is still receiving cancer treatment and the events will be paced to take account of his health. An accompanying visit to New Zealand, which had been considered, didn't go ahead after medical advice.

Since his diagnosis, the King's only international trip has been to France for D-Day commemorations in June.

This Australian trip, the first of his reign to one of the Commonwealth realms where he is head of state, will be much more extensive, with a long flight and a programme of engagements in Sydney and Canberra.

The royal visit could prompt further questions about the future of the monarchy in Australia and the debate about whether the country should become a republic.

On his arrival, the King will be officially welcomed by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Among the themes of the King's trip will be projects about the protecting the environment and the impact of climate change.

He will meet two award-winning experts in the treatment of melanoma, Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer, with Australia having one of the highest levels of skin cancer in the world.

At a barbecue near Sydney, the royal visitors will be able to taste local food and meet a diverse range of community representatives.

The Queen, meanwhile, will visit projects about supporting literacy and tackling domestic abuse and violence against women.

The Australia trip will be followed by the Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Samoa, which the King had seemed determined to attend.

The King has spent much of the summer in Scotland, including marking the second anniversary of the start of his reign this weekend.

There was more positive news about the King's health last week, with royal sources saying he was "heading in a very positive trajectory".

Queen Camilla also described the King as "doing very well" when she visited a hospital in Bath.

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