where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

Six decades of royal visits: Queen Elizabeth II in Australia – in pictures

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The Queen first visited Australia in 1954 – when she became the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil – and the last in 2011. The visits included motorcades, tram rides, two Commonwealth Games and plenty of horse racing

  • This article was amended on 14 September 2022 to correct the locations in two captions

Fri 9 Sep 2022 01.33 BST First published on Fri 9 Sep 2022 01.31 BST

Photograph: Alamy

Queen Elizabeth II inspecting merino sheep at the Wagga Wagga agricultural show in 1954.

Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images

The Queen and Prince Philip at the King George V memorial in Canberra in 1954.

Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images

The Queen at a garden party in Sydney, February 1954.

Photograph: Fox Photos/Getty Images

Parliament House welcomes the Queen in Hobart, Tasmania, 1954.

Photograph: Central Press/Getty Images

Mount Gambier Lakes in South Australia, January 1954.

Photograph: Reginald Davis/REX/Shutterstock

Driving through Adelaide, June 1963.

Photograph: Reginald Davis / Rex Features

Arriving in Sydney in 1970 for the bicentenary of Captain Cook’s first landing in Australia.

Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Launceston, Tasmania, 1970.

Photograph: Getty Images

Awarding swimmer Tracey Wickham a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, 1982.

Photograph: Fairfax Media/Fairfax Media via Getty Images

At the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, 1982.

Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

With Paul Keating, the Australian prime minister, in 1992. Keating was criticised for breaching royal protocol by putting his arm round the Queen.

Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images

Watching a Tjapukai ceremonial fire-lighting during a cultural performance near Cairns, Queensland, March 2002.

Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

After the Commonwealth Day service in Sydney, March 2006.

Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

On the royal tram down St Kilda Road in Melbourne, October 2011.

Photograph: Pool/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visiting Brisbane, 2011.

Photograph: Handout/Getty Images

With Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM in Perth, October 2011.

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where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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.

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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.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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.

The Queen in a car driving past a crowd.

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.

The Queen talks to young children.

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.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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.

AAP Image/Supplied by the National Archives of Australia

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.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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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The Queen's tours of Australia

In 1954 Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to open an Australian parliament, in NSW. (AP PHOTO)

THE QUEEN'S TOURS OF AUSTRALIA:

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THE QUEEN MEETS AUSTRALIA

1954, February 3-April 1: A newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II toured Australia with The Duke of Edinburgh. The couple visited 57 cities and towns in every state and territory except the Northern Territory. Highlights of the tour included the opening of the federal parliament and a meet-and-greet with 70,000 ex-service men and women at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Three-quarters of the population were estimated to have seen the royals at least once. Novel greetings included thousands of school children spelling out the word "loyalty" on an Adelaide oval and Sydneysiders risking their lives on railway tracks as the Royal Train steamed into the city.

CANBERRA'S JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

1963, February 18-March 27: The Queen marked Canberra's Jubilee celebrations with a tour of every state and territory. She made headlines after visiting the Red Centre and addressing remote communities via the Royal Flying Doctor Service radio network. The Queen also knighted Prime Minister Robert Menzies, visited the Australian War Memorial and the town of Elizabeth, north of Adelaide, named in her honour.

BICENTENARY OF YEARS SINCE COOK'S LANDING

1970, March 30-May 3: The royals returned to celebrate the bicentenary of Captain Cook's landing in Australia. The Queen unveiled a memorial in Cooktown before heading bush to the Royal Flying Doctor Service base at Mt Isa. The Queen and Prince Philip also visited NSW, Victoria and Tasmania. The "royal walkabout" was introduced during this tour, allowing the couple to depart from protocol and mingle with ordinary people.

SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE OPENING

1973, October 17-22: Queen Elizabeth II opened the Sydney Opera House on October 20 with Aboriginal man Ben Blakeney, a direct descendant of Bennelong. The ceremony included fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. The Queen also attended a parliamentary luncheon in Canberra.

NEW PARLIAMENT HOUSE OPENING

1974, February 27-28: The royals were back to open Parliament House in Canberra. But the Queen was forced to return to Britain after a snap general election was called, leaving Prince Philip to finish the tour. It was the only time the Queen abandoned an overseas trip.

QUEEN'S SILVER JUBILEE

1977, March 7-23; 26-30: Queen Elizabeth II marked her Silver Jubilee with a tour of every Australian state and territory. Things didn't go to plan when she was confronted with anti-royalist demonstrations in Adelaide. But it wasn't all heckles, with Australian cricketer Dennis Lillee requesting an autograph when the Queen visited the MCG. She declined but later mailed him one.

HIGH COURT OPENING

1980, May 24-28: The Queen opened the new High Court of Australia in Canberra. She also met entertainers, including comedian Paul Hogan and singer Olivia Newton-John, after they performed in a Royal Charity Concert at the Sydney Opera House.

CHOGM IN MELBOURNE

1981, September 26-October 12: The Queen travelled to Melbourne for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. She also toured Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia.

BRISBANE COMMONWEALTH GAMES OPENING

1982, October 5-13: Queen Elizabeth II opened the Brisbane Commonwealth Games on September 3. She and Prince Philip also travelled to NSW as well as Canberra for the launch of the National Gallery of Australia.

THE AUSTRALIA ACT

1986, March 2-13: Queen Elizabeth II signed the 1986 Australia Act in Canberra on February 7. This made Australian law independent of British parliament and courts. The Queen also opened Parramatta Stadium during her tour of NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

AUSTRALIA'S BICENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

1988, April 19-May 10: Queen Elizabeth II marked Australia's Bicentenary with a tour of every state and territory except Victoria and the Northern Territory. Along the way, she opened Brisbane's World Expo 88 and the Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach. She also opened Canberra's new Parliament House, where Aboriginals were protesting. But one little girl stole the show after breaking away from the crowd to give the Queen flowers.

`THE LIZARD OF OZ' TOUR

1992, February 18-25: British tabloids were furious when the Queen made global headlines for all the wrong reasons. Her Majesty was here to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Sydney. But then-Prime Minister Paul Keating took the country's famously laid-back attitude to new heights when he put his arm around the Queen, earning the nickname "the Lizard of Oz". And then his gloveless and hatless wife Annita declined to curtsy.

AFTER THE REPUBLICAN REFERENDUM

2000, March 17-April 1: Queen Elizabeth II delayed this tour until the debate around Australia's 1999 referendum had subsided. She visited every state and territory except South Australia, paying particular attention to regional areas including Wagga Wagga, Bourke, Ballarat, Alice Springs and Busselton. But her visit was marred by an armed man who posed as a royal security officer ahead of her arrival at Darling Harbour. He was arrested and the Queen was unharmed.

CHOGM SUNSHINE COAST

2002, February 27-March 3: The Queen had been on the throne for 50 years when she attended a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on the Sunshine Coast. But the corgi-loving monarch also made time to meet fellow dog owners at Adelaide's Government House.

MELBOURNE COMMONWEALTH GAMES OPENING

2006, March 11-16: The Queen opened Melbourne's Commonwealth Games on March 15. She also opened a new section of the Sydney Opera House, planted a gum tree at Canberra's Government House, met Aboriginal leaders and honoured firefighters who fought the January 2003 Canberra bushfires that destroyed more than 500 homes.

THE SWAN SONG TOUR

2011, October 19-29: Queen Elizabeth II's swansong tour revealed just how much Australia's relationship with the monarchy had changed. Prime Minister Julia Gillard bowed, rather than curtsied, to the 85-year-old monarch. And Prince Philip got behind the grill at Perth's "Big Aussie Barbecue". The royals also visited Brisbane, meeting victims of the previous summer's disastrous floods. In Melbourne, the Queen opened the new Royal Children's Hospital and rode in a custom-designed Royal Tram. She finished her tour at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, before being farewelled by a crowd of nearly 100,000.

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Remembering the Queen's NT visits and how she brought hope to drought-stricken Central Australia

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh walk from the red dirt onto the red carpet as people line up to see them.

As the Queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, stepped onto the tarmac at Alice Springs airport in 1963, she looked around at what she had been told was Australia's "dead heart". 

But, as she said in a speech that brought hope to hundreds who had suffered the ravages of a decade-long drought, that is not what she saw.

She saw the "living heart" of the nation.

"After hearing my husband's account of the dramatic scenery, and about the work and hospitality of its people, I was determined that the Northern Territory should be included in this visit," she said in a speech to locals.

"From now on, I shall always look upon it as a living heart beating with confident energy."

The Queen acknowledged that "city dwellers" considered the land "a harsh country with no redeeming features".

"To the romantic, it is the last frontier, the outpost of civilisation, the land of pioneers to be pitied as well as admired," she said.

But she saw Australia's interior as "a land of promise".

"After this visit, no-one will be able to suggest to me that Central Australia is a dead heart," she said.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh sitting in an open-top car.

It was the Royals' first visit together to the Northern Territory and marked the end of an extensive tour of Australia.

Robert Menzies was prime minister, William Sidney was governor-general, and the population of Australia at the end of the year was only 10 million.

Old photo of the Queen and Prince walking arm in arm through a garden with a building in the background.

Local historian Stuart Traynor said excitement was at fever pitch when the royals arrived at Alice Springs Airport at 4:20pm on March 14.

Their schedule was packed, beginning with an official welcome at the newly built Traeger Park.

"All the children of the schools were lined up on the oval in the big shape of a boomerang," Mr Traynor said.

The Queen and Prince Philip stand in a car with an open top on an oval as photographers and people gather around.

The Queen and Prince Philip stayed two nights at The Residency on the corner of Parsons and Hartley Streets.

Historian Megg Kelham said two new toilets were installed for the Royal visit, as was air conditioning.

In the 1990s when The Residency was due to undergo restoration works to return it to its original 1920s build, Ms Kelham said the National Trust objected. 

"What they wanted to keep was not the air conditioning system, but the toilet that the Queen might have used," Ms Kelham said.

"Now this speaks to the unique character of Alice Springs. It's a very odd thing to want to do."

a woman with short grey hair sits in a heritage building

Ms Kelham said the Queen singled out her visit to Alice Springs in 1963 as a highlight of that year's royal tour of Australia.

"The Queen was a woman of competence, a horse woman, who — if she wasn't the Queen — would have probably been striding around the countryside in jodhpurs, not in skirts and crowns," Ms Kelham said. 

"I think she might have recognised that in the women of central Australia."

A rowdy lunch

Black and white archival newspaper with front page about the Queen's 1963 visit to Alice Springs.

It was at an official royal luncheon held at the Stuart Arms Hotel where controversy unfolded.

Colonel Lionel Rose, the first director of the Animal Industry Branch in the Northern Territory, told the 100 exuberant guests to "shut up" — language not considered fit for a queen.

Locals Keith and Shirley Castle remember the event clearly.

They were excited to have been invited to have lunch with the Royals thanks to Mr Castle's role as the district governor for Apex at the time.

Mr Castle said the noise of all the guests was deafening.

"A lot of people wouldn't stop talking when people were trying to make the speeches," he said.

Archival image of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a pale blue dress with white gloves in an Alice Springs street.

"Colonel Rose got up and said, 'Would you all shut up?', which strangely had a far better effect than what the MC had been doing."

Mr Castle said he was convinced he saw the Queen smile.

"I wouldn't say she laughed but she certainly had a big smile on her face, so did the Prince as well," he said.

Mr Traynor said the furore was reported in the now-defunct local paper, the Centralian Advocate.

"A few days later [the paper] reported that and they carried a letter from Colin Ford, the minister at the Flynn church who the Queen had met earlier," he said.

"He got stuck into Colonel Rose, saying it was disgraceful for him to use that terrible language and how it brought shame on the people of Alice Springs."

Archival photo of a crowd surrounding Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, as the Queen shakes a man's hand.

The Castles said it was a memory they — and the rest of the town — would always cherish.

a 93yo man at home holding a photo of himself meeting the queen

A football grand final to remember

Victor Ludwig still remembers the dos and don'ts of greeting Her Majesty in 1977 in Darwin.

"We had a few dress rehearsals of how to shake the Queen's hand," he said. 

"You don't talk to the Queen until you're spoken to. 

football team greeting the queen

"You don't start the conversation — you wait until she speaks and you answer — and if she wants some information, you give it to her."

Then president of St Mary's football club, Mr Ludwig was chosen to host the Queen at a grand final football match against the Waratahs. 

Tensions were high.

"When the Queen's car got down to the St Mary's end [of the oval], there was clapping and cheering — and a few boos," Mr Ludwig said.

"Prince Philip looks down to my wife and said, 'Why are they booing?'

"My wife said, 'Well, Your Royal Highness, the Queen, Her Majesty, is wearing the opposition club colours'."

a black and white photo of the queen next to a fancy car

When Little Miss Territorian met the Queen

On that same 1977 tour, when Darwin was still rebuilding after Cyclone Tracy, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a commemorative plaque in honour of the victims of the cyclone.

While she was in town, Queen Elizabeth was given a special gift from Little Miss Territorian, Tamara Johnson.

But it did not exactly go to plan.

Speaking to ABC Radio Darwin, Ms Johnson said "the Lord Mayor at the time was Dr Ella Stack, and she was wearing all of the full lord mayoral robes".

"So I actually thought that the Lord Mayor was the Queen and attempted to give her the flowers instead," she said. 

"I was six, nearly seven ... Prince Philip was grinning ear to ear."

'She was really, really lovely'

When Margaret Kemarre 'M K' Turner heard Queen Elizabeth II was coming to Alice Springs in 2000, she eyed a golden opportunity. 

"We just told her we don't want any more children to be locked up," the Arrernte elder said, pointing to the Northern Territory's 1997 mandatory sentencing laws.

"We want to have our children beside us and live our life, live our lives as people, as families."

an elderly aboriginal woman wearing a beanie holding a mug

Dr Turner, board director of First Nations not-for-profit Children's Ground, said she was pleased the Queen visited Central Australia "to see who we are, what we do and how we live".

She said she witnessed the complicated relationship some locals had with the British royal family.

"Everybody from the camps wanted to go and see the Queen," Dr Turner said. 

"But a lot of our mob pushed other people back. They thought she wasn't the right person to meet.

"I think she was really, really lovely."

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In photos: Remembering Queen Elizabeth's royal visits to Australia

Remembering the Queen's visits to Australia

Remembering the Queen's visits to Australia

When Queen Elizabeth II arrived on Australian shores in 1954, it was an historic moment for Monarch and country.

The almost month-long tour, alongside husband the Duke of Edinburgh, would make her the first reigning monarch to tour the country.

It would be her first of 16 Australian visits.

As the world mourns a history-making leader , scroll through the gallery to learn more about the Queen's Australian tours – and see the last ever photo taken of the monarch on our shores.

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1954: The Queen's first Australian tour

1954: The Queen's first Australian tour

On the morning of February 3, 1954, the Queen stepped off the royal barge in Sydney Harbour.

On the day, The Sydney Morning Herald reported an estimated one million people lined the city streets and the shallow harbour inlet of Farm Cove.

A further half a million flooded other vantage points around the harbour.

On the day of the Queen's arrival into Sydney, an ice cream salesman told The Herald he expected to make "one pound an hour for the next few days".

One pound back in 1954 would be worth an estimated $16.40 in today's money.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

The Queen's visit would be documented in Australia's first colour feature length documentary film.

"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," the National Film and Sound Archive said in a statement on its website.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

Former editor-in-chief of The Australian Women's Weekly Deborah Thomas says the reception to the Queen's arrival proved she had "movie-star glamour".

"[She was] a rock star, essentially, the biggest celebrity to have ever arrived on our shores," Thomas tells 9Honey .

That landmark visit would give 75 per cent of Australia's population an opportunity to see the Queen in person over a two months.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

The Queen wore her coronation gown when she opened the Australian parliament on February 1954.

Her Majesty had been crowned at Westminster Abbey, in London, almost a year earlier, on June 2, 1953.

Former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt and his wife, Zara, were in London for the formalities.

Holt shared his observations from the historic day in letters obtained by the NAA.

“The oddest incident in the whole ceremony was the appearance, just before the Queen’s procession arrived and after the other royal processions had moved through, of two aproned maids - one pushing a hand operated carpet sweeper around the Throne area, and the other doing her bit of cleaning, broom in hand," he wrote.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

The Queen, in her royal finery, attending a state banquet in Canberra alongside then-prime minister Robert Menzies.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

On her first trip, Her Majesty visited every Australian capital city and 70 regional tours.

She is pictured here in Newcastle, NSW.

During the tour she would deliver 100 speeches.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

The Queen endured 57 hours across 55 flights during the tour, the National Archives of Australia (NAA) found.

There was reportedly no delay on the tour or any baggage lost.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

The Queen travelled more than 3000km in cars on the trip.

This equated to 120 hours on the road with 207 separate trips.

One of the stops on the royal tour was Whyalla in South Australia, where she and The Duke greeted well-wishers.

1963: The Queen returns

1963: The Queen returns

In 1963, the Queen returned for her second Royal Tour of Australia.

The popularity of the monarch is clear in this photo of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh driving through the crowds in a Land Rover at the Bushman's Carnival in Brisbane.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

During the tour, Queen Elizabeth met with then-Australian Prime Minister Menzies.

This time it was at the official Jubilee celebrations in Canberra.

1970: The 'walkabout' tour

1970: The 'walkabout' tour

In March 1970, the Queen returned to Australia for her third tour.

The Queen and Duke were joined on this tour by children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

The tour would last 34 days and was historic for a single decision by the Queen to do a 'walk-about'.

She first exited a car and greeted crowds on the New Zealand leg of the tour.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

Royal expert Victoria Arbiter told Talking Honey the royal visit in 1963 had been a little lacklustre, so aides were tasked with jazzing things up a bit.

"They were going to New Zealand as well, so William Heseltine who was the Queen's private secretary at the time - the only Australian to hold the position," Victoria said.

"He was the one put in charge, he was the jazzmaster."

She said after discussing options with authorites in New Zealand they came up with the idea the Queen would alight from her car ahead of the destination and then she'd meet the regular people.

"Not just wave and offer a handshake to dignitaries," Victoria said.

It was such a success, the royals continued with a 'walkabout' in Sydney.

1973: The Queen opens 'The House'

1973: The Queen opens 'The House'

In 1973, the Queen returned to Australia for the official opening of the new Sydney Opera House.

On that day, the awaiting crowds consumed 96,000 meat pies, one tonne of hot dogs, 2000 gallons of fruit juice and 150,000 cups of instant coffee.

1974: The royal tour cut short

1974: The royal tour cut short

The Queen visited Australia a year later in 1974 to open the nation's parliament in Canberra.

Unlike previous trips, which were weeks long, the Queen's 1974 tour was cut short as the UK faced economic crisis.

In February that year, then-UK Prime Minister Prime Minister Edward Heath called a snap election.

It is the Queen's constitutional role to appoint a new British Prime Minister.

The outcome of the election resulted in a hung parliament, the UK's first in 45 years.

1977: The royal train and $100m worth of treasures

1977: The royal train and $100m worth of treasures

In 1977, the Queen toured Australia as part of her Silver Jubilee.

During this tour, Her Majesty purposely visited South Australia and Western Australia.

The visit to the two states would be her first in 14 years, with official duties cutting short her 1974 trip.

To mark the Queen's Silver, the Royal Silver Jubilee Exhibition Train Jubilee travelled 11,250 kilometres throughout Australia hauling an estimated $100 million worth of treasures .

These included the bullet that killed Lord Nelson, Queen Elizabeth I's gloves and Princess Anne's wedding dress.

1980: The 'anniversary tour'

1980: The 'anniversary tour'

In 1980, the Queen and Prince Philip Duke arrived back in Australia.

The royals returned to open the new High Court of Australia in Canberra.

She also met with entertainers, including comedian Paul Hogan and the late singer Olivia Newton-John, after they performed in a Royal Charity Concert at the Sydney Opera House.

While in Melbourne, Her Majesty marked the 10 years since the first royal 'walkabout'.

"I still remember vividly the novelty and excitement of that occasion," she said in a speech .

"Since then we have walked, talking with the people, through many cities all over the world, but nothing could be more heart-warming than to be back again among a Melbourne crowd."

1981: Bouquets for a Queen

1981: Bouquets for a Queen

In 1981, the Queen travelled to Melbourne for the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

She also toured Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia.

1982: A royal 'jam'

1982: A royal 'jam'

In 1982, the Queen opened the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

During one moment of their visit, the Duke of Edinburgh joked with athletes "but we should have gone out that way" when Australian athletes forced the royal car to do another lap of a stadium.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh at the Closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.

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Ahoy! Ahoy! – Her Majesty returns in 1963!

By Anne Scheu, Engagement Officer, State Library of Queensland | 14 March 2022

State Library of Queensland acknowledges the service given by Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II to Queensland. On 6 February 2022, she became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms, and the Commonwealth.

In this blog post we feature digitised images contributed by the City of Gold Coast Libraries Picture Gold Coast collection and the collections of the John Oxley Library showcasing Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s tour in 1963.

This blog post is a record of her visit at the time and our Queensland experience of her visit.

the royal boat of Queen Elizabeth II

Royal Yacht Britannia in the harbour at Brisbane, R115 Finlay Colour Slides, Acc D4-2-84, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image no: Ibp00200

HRH Queen Elizabeth II – the beloved monarch…

When Australia’s Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Robert G. Menzies announced Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would return to Australia in 1963 for the Jubilee celebrations of the national capital Canberra, the Queen’s itinerary was prepared around the use of the Royal Yacht Britannia to convey Her Majesty to each capital city in Australia.

Having spent 8 weeks travelling to every part of Australia in 1954, the decision to use the Royal Yacht Britannia as a permanent base meant she could entertain aboard ship and rest between each port as she travelled the 9,000 miles around Australia’s coastline.

Landing in Canberra by air from New Zealand, she boarded the Britannia in Sydney, and arrived in Brisbane on 6 March 1963. A flotilla of boats greeted Her Majesty as the Royal Yacht sailed up the Brisbane River on its way to Newstead Wharf.

the queen walks down some steps

The Queen leaves the dais with the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, after the civic welcome on Wednesday, 6 March 1963, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Negative: 105778.

Following her arrival she attended a Civic Reception at City Hall, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Clem Jones AO, in the morning; an investiture ceremony at Government House during lunch; and departed for Bulwer Island in the afternoon to unveil an impressive plaque commemorating the discovery of oil in the Surat Basin and the development of a 320km pipeline which ran from Moonie, west of Toowoomba to Bulwer Island, a peninsular situated at the mouth of the Brisbane River. The plaque inscription stated:

“Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unveiled this stone to commemorate the discovery of oil in commercial quantities in Australia and the construction of a pipeline from the Moonie field to the port of Brisbane, 6th March 1963.” Later that same day, she attended a reception of State officials and their wives and graced a dinner party at Government House during the evening before heading to the Exhibition Grounds for a Citizen’s Welcome on the way back to Newstead Wharf. A normal day for a Monarch on tour?

Crowds of people assembled the next morning at the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds for a glimpse of Her Majesty attending the North Brisbane School Children’s Welcome on 7 March. HRH Queen Elizabeth II was surrounded by school children and onlookers, captured  in colour by amateur photographer Rosemary Spenceley.

two photos of crowds at an oval to see Queen Elizabeth II

Crowds at the Brisbane Exhibition Ground, 7 March 1963 for the Royal tour of 1963, Acc 32027 Rosemary Spenceley's colour slides of Brisbane and Southeast Queensland, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Images: 32027-0001-0010 / 32027-0001-0012

By 11:00am on the same day, she was driven to the Brisbane Cricket Ground, transferred into a land rover, and driven past hundreds of assembled school children representing the southern suburbs of Brisbane. Time spent at the ‘Gabba’ was short though because Her Majesty was expected to host a formal luncheon for invited guests on the Royal Yacht Britannia immediately after.

Queen Elizabeth II stands with a man, Sir Thomas Alfred Hiley at the Brisbane Cricket Ground

Sir Thomas Alfred Hiley with Queen Elizabeth II, Brisbane Cricket Ground, 1963, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, Neg: 108970

Also arranged as part of this tour, was a flight to Coolangatta so the royals could attend a Surf Carnival at the Gold Coast. HRH Queen Elizabeth II is the Patron of the Royal Life Saving Society UK.

Gold Coast City Libraries Local Studies published an interesting detail about the event in the library’s Gold Coast Stories series titled Queen Elizabeth Park :

the Queen and entourage leave their plane at Coolangatta airport

Queen Elizabeth II arrives on an official visit at Coolangatta Airport, Queensland, 7 March, 1963. Photographer Bill Stafford. Image ID LS-LSP-CD 309-IMG0017. Courtesy of Gold Coast Libraries. For all other uses contact Gold Coast Libraries. https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libraries/Home

In the photograph above, taken by Mr Bill Stafford, Mrs Richter, wife of Local Government Minister, Harold Richter is being presented to Queen Elizabeth II.

In another entry, Gold Coast Libraries published an interesting detail about the event in Gold Coast Stories titled Queen Elizabeth Park :  

A selection of images by local photographers highlighted the conditions on the day and the genuine interest by the public to catch a glimpse of the royals and the competitors who travelled great distances to be part of the event.  

Council’s Public Works division constructed the platform and dais. Builder Bill Tokely of Palm Beach recalled large amounts of water pooling in the canopy above Her Majesty. Event organisers used a broom to drain the water away from her on the dais.

 In a more sophisticated version the National Film and Sound Archives (NFSA) digitised a 28 min documentary film, titled ‘The Queen Returns to Australia’ for the 1963 tour. In the film we are treated to a short colour sequence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip attending the carnival on Queensland’s iconic Gold Coast (timed sequence 4:23) and the official opening of the Bulwer Island to Moonie pipeline (timed sequence 24:05) which took place the previous day.  

view of a white undercover area overlooking a beach with surf life saving competitors

The Royal Pavilion for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Royal Surf Carnival, Coolangatta, Queensland, 7 March 1963. Photographer Ray Sharpe. ID LS-LSP-CD536-IMG0009. Courtesy of Gold Coast Libraries. https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/libraries/Home

Read more blogs about HRH Queen Elizabeth II and her visits to Queensland

  • Queen Elizabeth II in Queensland - multiple blogs
  • Queen Elizabeth II – History in Pictures
  • Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to Queensland  (published in 2014)
  • Hear ye! Hear ye! 1954 and Her Majesty is coming!  

@slqld Flickr Commons   

  • 1954 Royal Tour  
  • 1954 Royal Tour – Queensland on show

British Pathe Film

Construction of the oil pipeline from Moonie to Bulwer Island at the mouth of the Brisbane River. The pipeline was closed officially in 2008 by Santos.

Anne Scheu, Collections Engagement, Queensland Memory, State Library of Queensland

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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

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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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Queen Elizabeth II in Queensland, circa 1970

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.

Queen Elizabeth II, with the Duke of Edinburgh standing to her right, receiving a bouquet of flowers from a young girl in 1954 during her first tour to Australia.

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 arriving at a ceremony in Canberra, waving to onlookers in 1963.

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.

Surfers parade on Bondi beach

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 for the official opening ceremony of the Sydney Opera House in 1973.

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.  

The Queen and Prince Philip arrive for the official opening ceremony of the Sydney Opera House in 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.

Summary by Michelle Davenport

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

HM Queen Elizabeth II - A Christmas message to the Commonwealth

HM Queen Elizabeth II delivers the 1952 Christmas message.

A schoolgirl sitting in an ornate chair dressed as The Queen while a boy places a crown on her head.

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 and Prince Philip arrive at Victorian Parliament, 1954.

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.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the back of a car wave to crowds at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1954.

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.

The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, in 1954.

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. 

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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 race track in Melbourne in 1954.

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.

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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.

The Queen on stage at the opening ceremony for the Sydney Opera House.

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.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip stand facing crowds at an official ceremony during her silver jubilee visit to Australia in 1977.

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’.

Queen Elizabeth II walking through a crowd of people with cameras, Prince Phillip behind her

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 .

Queen Elizabeth II wearing a white hat and jacket, meeting and accepting flowers from a crowd of people.

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.

The British Royal Family waving from a balcony, c1940s.

Heir to the Throne: Young Elizabeth

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

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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 .

where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

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 .

Head and shoulders image of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a formal gown, tiara and necklace

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.

Head and shoulders image of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a formal gown, tiara and necklace

More to explore

Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Robert Menzies, c1954.

Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

A selection of films, artefacts and documents from the NFSA collection showcase the life of Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

Queen Elizabeth II greeting crowds in Australia

Remembering Queen Elizabeth

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has passed away at the age of 96. After 70 years of service, we pay tribute to our longest reigning monarch.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip riding in the back of a car in Sydney in 1973, surrounded by members of the public and photographers.

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

Aerogard and The Queen's visit to Australia in 1963

How are Aerogard, the Australian insect repellent, and Queen Elizabeth, England's longest ruling monarch, forever linked by a visit in 1963?

Listen on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Worlds apart. Insect repellent and a Royal visit?

Speaking of, the Aeroguard ads are going to start up again soon?

We're due for a Royal visit too, aren't we Bill?

Think Music: Aerogard insect repellent TV commercial Max Walker

The Answer: How are Aerogard and The Queen's visit to Australia in 1963 Somehow Related?

From the CSIRO blog...

During the period 1938 to 1961 Doug Waterhouse carried out pioneering studies on the sheep blowfly, a major pest. This work was interrupted by the Second World War where his attention turned to ways of protecting allied troops from the mosquitoes responsible for malarial transmission. By 1943 the repellent was widely deployed in the Pacific and Doug was considered a hero for his development of the repellent referred to by the troops as ‘Mary’.
However it took the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Australia in 1963 for the repellent to become a household name.

Things get a little tricky though.

The first time she was supposed to be sprayed with it, she wasn't!

Attending a garden party at Old Parliament House in Canberra...

...the aide responsible lost his nerve and the Queen was left madly swatting flies.

Read more at the CSIRO blog - "Aerogard"

Itinerary from HRH Queen Elizabeth's visit to Australia

As per document from Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet

The Royal Yacht was given a work out as the primary mode of transport between cities.

The Queen and Prince were in Australia for just over a month. Several days are simply listed as 'At sea'. And seven days to get from Darwin to Fremantle.

The use of the Royal Yacht will also allow Her Majesty to enter the cities of Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle from the seaward.
Furthermore, it is Her Majesty's intention to use the yacht for entertainment purposes throughout the Visit.

It's not a short video but here's one about the visit from the National Film and Sound Archives.

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Sam's voice comes from Google Home.

Original theme music by Kit Warhurst .

Artwork created by Stacy Gougoulis .

Editing by Courtney Carthy, Nearly Media

IMAGES

  1. 1963. Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II tour Australia and New

    where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

  2. Flashback to when The Queen visited Adelaide town named in her honour

    where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

  3. The Queen in Queensland, 1963-77

    where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

  4. Queen Elizabeth II in Adelaide: 1954, 1963 & 1977

    where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

  5. In pictures: the Queen's visits to Australia over the years

    where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

  6. Queen Elizabeth II visiting Australia

    where did the queen visit in australia in 1963

COMMENTS

  1. Royal tours of Australia

    19th century Prince Alfred's visit 1867-1868. The first member of the Royal Family to visit Australia was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Victoria, in 1867.. The trip was fraught with disaster. Prince Alfred arrived on board HMS Galatea, of which he was also Captain, as part a world cruise.On 31 October 1867, he landed at South Australia and spent three weeks there.

  2. Royal Visits to Australia

    2011. Royal Visit to Australia by Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh: 19-29 October 2011. The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet published details of the Royal Visits to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. More information about Australia's Platinum Jubilee celebrations is ...

  3. 1963 Royal Visit

    In partnership with the National Library, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet has shared digital copies of its collection of official Royal Visit programs. Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh arriving in Australia at the start of their 1963 tour. Image courtesy of the National Archives of Australia.

  4. Six decades of royal visits: Queen Elizabeth II in Australia

    The Queen first visited Australia in 1954 - when she became the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil - and the last in 2011. The visits included motorcades, tram rides, two ...

  5. 16 visits over 57 years: reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II's long

    Massive crowds greeted the Queen on her first tour of Australia in 1954. AP Photo A "new" and prosperous country. During her first two tours in 1954 and 1963, the Australia laid-out for ...

  6. Queen Elizabeth II's visits to Australia: How the Queen travelled, from

    The Queen's 1963 visit was responsible for another significant technological breakthrough. During World War II the CSIRO had modified a sheep blowfly treatment to protect Australian troops against ...

  7. 1963 Royal Visit to Queensland, Australia Part 1 of 6

    HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visit Queensland, March 1963 (Part 1 of 6). Produced by Office of Agent-General for Queensland...

  8. The Queen's tours of Australia

    The Queen's tours of Australia. Updated September 8 2022 - 12:18pm, first published 12:14pm. In 1954 Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to open an Australian parliament, in NSW.

  9. Remembering the Queen's NT visits and how she brought hope to drought

    "After this visit, no-one will be able to suggest to me that Central Australia is a dead heart," she said. The Queen takes a tour of Alice Springs during her visit in 1963. ( Facebook: Gerry Smyth )

  10. 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 ...

  11. Remembering Queen Elizabeth II's Many Tours Of Australia

    Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia many times during her 70-year reign, including to open two commonwealth games. Queen Elizabeth II first visited Australia in 1954 from February 3-April 1, when she was newly crowned, she travelled with The Duke of Edinburgh. During the trip, the couple visited 57 cities and towns in every state and territory ...

  12. Her majesty the Queen's royal tours of Australia

    Queen Elizabeth II first visited in 1954 at the age of 27, the first of her sixteen trips to Australia, most recently in 2011. September 9, 2022 — 2.11pm. 1 / 53. On 17 March 1977, the Queen ...

  13. In photos: Remembering Queen Elizabeth's royal visits to Australia

    In 1963, the Queen returned for her second Royal Tour of Australia. ... Her Majesty purposely visited South Australia and Western Australia. The visit to the two states would be her first in 14 ...

  14. 1963 in Australia

    The Queen Returns - The 1963 Australian visit of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh was filmed by the Commonwealth Film Unit. Much of the 30-minute film is devoted to Canberra and its history as the Queen's visit coincided with Canberra's Jubilee Celebrations - 50 years since the founding of the city.

  15. A Look Back On Queen Elizabeth's Visits To Australia Over The Years

    Queen Elizabeth II had a long relationship with Australia and its people, having visited 16 times during her reign. We take a look back on the Queen's visits from being the first monarch to step foot in Australia in 1954 to her final trip in 2011. 1954. Queen Elizabeth II's first visit to Australia was in 1954 with her husband, Prince Philip ...

  16. Queen Elizabeth death: A look back on the Queen's visits and royal

    The Queen and Prince Philip returned to Australia in 1963 for Canberra's jubilee celebrations, 50 years on from the naming of the capital. ... After a visit in 1992, the Queen did not return to ...

  17. Her Majesty returns in 1963!

    HRH Queen Elizabeth II - the beloved monarch… When Australia's Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Robert G. Menzies announced Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II would return to Australia in 1963 for the Jubilee celebrations of the national capital Canberra, the Queen's itinerary was prepared around the use of the Royal Yacht Britannia to convey Her Majesty to each capital city in Australia.

  18. Reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II's long relationship with Australia

    Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip drive down Victoria Park racecourse, in Adelaide, 1963. Image credit: AP Photo. "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 ...

  19. The Queen's tours of Australia

    10:17am Sep 6, 2015. THE QUEEN'S TOURS OF AUSTRALIA: THE QUEEN MEETS AUSTRALIA. 1954, February 3 - April 1: A newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II toured Australia with The Duke of Edinburgh. The ...

  20. Queen Elizabeth dies: making history on royal tours of Australia

    The Queen in Canberra as part of her 1963 tour. ... The first member of the Royal Family to visit Australia was Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, and son of Queen Victoria, in 1867.

  21. Her Majesty The Queen's Royal Tours of Melbourne

    Queen Elizabeth II first visited Melbourne in 1954 at the age of 27. Her Majesty visited Melbourne on numerous occasions during her sixteen trips to Australia, most recently in 2011. September 9 ...

  22. The Queen in Australia

    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.

  23. Aerogard and The Queen's visit to Australia in 1963

    By 1943 the repellent was widely deployed in the Pacific and Doug was considered a hero for his development of the repellent referred to by the troops as 'Mary'. However it took the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Australia in 1963 for the repellent to become a household name. Things get a little tricky though.