In 1954, a newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II came to Australia as part of a Royal Tour, thus making her the first reigning British monarch to ever set foot on Australian soil. For their first trip, The royals visited 57 towns and cities during the 58 days they spent in Australia. Since then, The Queen visited the country a total of 16 times across six decades from 1954 to 2011. Tram rides, walkabouts, visiting remote communities and attending two Commonwealth Games were all part of her tours. Revisit some of her most historic moments down under and her special relationship with Australia through this photo gallery.
SEE ALSO: Australia Reacts To The Passing Of Queen Elizabeth II
1. The Queen landing at Farm Cove, NSW during her first Royal Visit to Australia on February 3, 1954
2. Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh waving to crowds in Brisbane, March 12, 1954
3. Sir John Lavarack, Governor of Queensland, with The Queen on March 18, 1954, towards the end of her Queensland journey
4. At the opening night of the Sydney Opera House on October 20, 1973
5. Opening Of the Melbourne City Square May 28, 1980
6. At the Closing Ceremony of the XII Commonwealth Games, Brisbane
7. 1100 women waiting in the Bonython Hall, Adelaide to welcome The Queen in March 1954
8. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Sydney Showground in February 1963
9. On a tram ride during her visit to Melbourne on October 26, 2011
10. The Queen and Prince Philip arriving at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 28, 2011
11. The Lord Mayor of Hobart, Sir Richard Harris and The Queen in Tasmania, 1954
12. Unveiling a plaque at the opening of the new Royal Children’s Hospitals in Melbourne on October 26, 2011
13. At the opening of the new western Colonnade addition to the Opera House on March 13, 2006
13. The Queen at the Brisbane Airport, 1977
14. At the opening of NSW Parliament in 1954
15. The Queen and Prince Philip on a tour around the grounds of Government House, Canberra in 2011
16. Queen Elizabeth II’s arrival at the Exhibition Building, Melbourne for the Royal Ball in 1954
17. At the Adelaide Oval
18. Arriving onboard the royal train at Leura, Blue Mountains
19. Royal Visit, Sydney 1992 with a crowd of onlookers behind
