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North Queensland was in flood in the lead up to the Royal visit, and many people were reportedly unable to make the trip to see the Queen and the Duke. She visited every state and territory except South Australia, paying particular attention to regional areas including Wagga Wagga, Bourke, Ballarat, Alice Springs and Busselton. When Prince Philip decided in 1954 to commission a sports car in which he and the newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth might gad-about, he bought one hell of a car: an Aston Martin Lagonda 3-liter . February 3, 1954. Malta: 2015. February 6, 1954. In Toowoomba schoolchildren rode milk trucks, and adults travelled in trucks and buses to see the Royal couple for only a fleeting moment. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Visit of Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh to Australia - The Robert Menzies Collection: A Living Library, The Robert Menzies Collection: A Living Library is a biographical and bibliographical database documenting more than 4000 books from the personal collection of Sir Robert Gordon Menzies held at the University of Melbourne Library. It could carry up to 81 passengers and cruised more than 8000 km at 555 km/h at a ceiling of 7300 metres. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall visited Canada from May 17 to 19, 2022 to mark Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. the day of the Queen's visit. The Queen travelled 2600 km by plane, and the TownsvilleCairnsMackay legs on the Royal yacht. This map was produced by the Survey Office, Department of Public Lands, Brisbane, in March 1946 and issued in conjunction with the Royal Visit, 1954. The new Queen Elizabeth toured Australia in 1954. Sir William Dargie (1919-2003) painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in late 1954 to commemorate the monarch's first visit to Australia as part of the 1953-54 royal tour of the Commonwealth. Duke of Edinburgh. ; Recently, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made history while visiting Ireland for the first time, 120 years after Queen Victoria. The first visit to use air travel, it was an extensive and exhausting tour, including 33 flights, 130 hours of driving, train and boat travel. After representations from the Premier, Vince Gair, the tour organisers agreed to alter the dates in the hope of more agreeable weather in March. DescriptionIn 1954 the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth the 2nd visitied Australia. The Queen and Prince Philip on the royal train at Central Station, Sydney.State Records NSW The Royal party visited all the capital cities apart from Darwin, and over 70 country towns.The donor, an 11 year old school girl in 1954, received this booklet with a commemorative medal when the royal couple visited Hamilton in western Victoria. R. G. Menzies is about to step from the landing pontoon on to Australian soil for the first time at Farm Cove, Sydney. 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. March 9, 1954. Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. The simulated gum tree provided a temporary home for nine koalas. 1901), Lexpertise universitaire, lexigence journalistique. Queen Elizabeth II's reign commenced with the longest tour of the Commonwealth she has completed, visiting the West Indies, Oceania, Asia and Africa between November 1953 and May 1954. The main purpose of the visit is for the queen to officiate at celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Sydney City's Council. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visiting Bermuda in 1953 A young girl presenting flowers to The Queen outside Brisbane City Hall, March 1954 1960s The Queen cutting a cake in celebration of the first birthday of Prince Andrew in Chennai, India, 19 February 1961 The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Sydney, Australia, February 1963 Picture: AAP . Following her succession to the throne in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II (accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) embarked on a six month tour of the Commonwealth. log in. The Queensland itinerary featured Brisbane 9-10 and 16-18 March, and the regional cities Bundaberg and Toowoomba 11 March, Townsville 12 March, Cairns 13 March, and Mackay and Rockhampton 15 March. An estimated 75,000 people lined the streets of Launceston on Wednesday, February 24 to glimpse the royal cavalcade of the Queen and the Duke on their final day of their four-day visit to Tasmania. You are free to copy, distribute, remix and build upon this content as long as you credit the author and the State Library of NSW as the source. 1963, February 18-March 27: The Queen marked Canberra's Jubilee celebrations with a tour of every state and territory. Duke of Edinburgh in Land Rover (second path on left) inspect thousands of school children at Sydney Cricket Ground. Free shipping for many products! First published on Fri 9 Sep 2022 01.31BST, Photograph: Reginald Davis/REX/Shutterstock, Photograph: Reginald Davis / Rex Features, Photograph: Fairfax Media/Fairfax Media via Getty Images, Photograph: Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every 2011, October 19-29: Queen Elizabeth II's swansong tour revealed just how much Australia's relationship with the monarchy had changed. The Australian Government had promised Queen Elizabeth that an official film would be made . Given her advanced years, this has long been expected, yet it still seems incredible this woman who has been Australias queen for the duration of most Australians lives is no longer with us. View a list of all our accounts. 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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Vintage 1954 Souvenir Spoon - Queen Elizabeth Visit to Australia - Rogers De Lux at the best online prices at eBay! The Education Department issued school children with these commemorative covers for their exercise books. The 1954 Royal Tour was the biggest single event ever organised in Australia. Printed text throughout with red detailing. The couple visited 57 cities and towns in every state and territory except the Northern Territory. Queen's visit to Broken Hill, which have also been digitised. 1980, May 24-28: The Queen opened the new High Court of Australia in Canberra. As early as the 1963 tour, the nation-wide royal fervour had dimmed a little. An estimated 75% of the population turned out to catch a glimpse of their new Queen. The 1973 visit was mainly for her to open the Sydney Opera House. Authors. Those who couldnt be there in person could listen to ABC radios nation-wide coverage of the historic occasion. In the ensuing years, this patriotic image was to become one of the most recognisable examples of twentieth-century Australian . In just under 2 months, the royal couple would travel around Australia by train, car, and plane. 12-20 October 1981: This visit followed a Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in Melbourne. So of course, it was . Three-quarters of the population were estimated to have seen the royals at least once. Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Saint Kitts during a royal tour of . 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 IIs death. Menzies) is in the background. The Queen and Prince Philip arrive in Australia this week for an 11-day visit. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee offers an excellent opportunity to celebrate her devoted service as Head of the Commonwealth, as reflected in the Royal Commonwealth Society Collections at Cambridge University Library. During World War II the CSIRO had modified a sheep blowfly treatment to protect Australian troops against malarial mosquitoes. It introduced Australia to the jet age and affordable air travel - and flew much faster that the Constellation. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, escorted by The Governor-General of Australia, Field-Marshal Sir William Slim and followed by H.R.H. The Prime Minister (Mr. R.G. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip en route to Eagle Farm Airport, Brisbane 1954. Recalled for duty, the Museum's Daimler landaulette was one of a fleet of 55 vehicles operating throughout New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia for the 1954 Royal Tour. 1-16 February 1990: The Queen closed the Commonwealth Games in Auckland and took part in events marking 150 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. USA Distributor of MCM Equipment queen's visit to australia 1954 itinerary 5. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will visit Australia from 12 to 16 March 2006, for the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. People all over the state travelled to the major regional centres to catch sight of the Queen. The Queen visited six centres around New Zealand. When the 27 year old sailed into Sydney harbour on 3 February 1954, she practically stopped the nation. 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". The itinerary followed that of 1953-54 and the couple visited 11 centres; the Queen opened the Beehive, Parliament's new executive wing. However, before 1954 there were many visits by other members of the royal family and this is the focus of this post. Victorian State Government, Victoria, Australia, Feb 1954, Hamilton, Victoria, Australia, 26 Feb 1954, HM Queen Elizabeth II, England, Great Britain, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, England, Great Britain, Printed on front cover: THE ROYAL VISIT 1954, Celebrations, Royal Visit to Australia, 1954, Royal Visits, Schools, Souvenirs, Celebrations, Museums Victoria Collections https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/1821428Accessed 04 March 2023, We support the open release of data and information about our collections. 1986, March 2-13: Queen Elizabeth II signed the 1986 Australia Act in Canberra on February 7. Flinders University apporte un financement en tant que membre adhrent de TheConversation AU. Her arrival at Farm Cove, where Captain Arthur Phillip raised the British flag 165 years before her, attracted an estimated 1 million onlookers in a city with a population of 1,863,161 (1954 ABS Census). Offer ends 31 October, 2022. Portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh with the crew of the HMAS Australia battlecruiser, near Cairns, Queensland, 13 March 1954. 22 February - 7 March 1977: Part of a Commonwealth tour to mark the Queen's Silver (25th) Jubilee. The Queen visited six centres around New Zealand. Her first visit to Australia was in February 1954 on a Royal Yacht the SS Gothic (Britannia's maiden voyage was still some months away). 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. [Trove] Australians turned out in their millions to catch a glimpse of the young Queen. The first reigning monarch to tour Australia, she arrived in Sydney on 3 February 1954 and departed the country from Fremantle on 1 April 1954. The visits included motorcades, tram rides, two Commonwealth Games and plenty of horse racing, Fri 9 Sep 2022 01.33BST Queen manages to look cool in tropic heat. The Australian leg began in New South Wales followed by Canberra, Tasmania, and Victoria. Inside the timetable listing the stations the Royal Train passed through and a description of the journey from Bathurst to Sydney. Planning had commenced in 1949 for King George VI (Elizabeths father) to visit Australia and New Zealand. Things didn't go to plan when she was confronted with anti-royalist demonstrations in Adelaide. The royal couple arrived in Sydney on 3 February 1954. In February 1981, Qantas flew Diana Spencer and her mother to London for the engagement announcement. 2017 - The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall. "Busselton is now among the fastest growing shires in Australia and the visit will give the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh an opportunity to meet with some of the artists, craftsmen . He was the only son of Prince Andrew of Greece, grandson of King Christian IX of Denmark Queen Elizabeth II was born in London, Englandon 21 April 1926. . An estimated 75% of Australia's population were able to catch a . The first reigning monarch to visit Australia was Queen Elizabeth II in 1954. She also toured Tasmania, Western Australia and South Australia. In 2002 to mark her Golden Jubilee the Queen and Duke arrived in Adelaide and flew out of Brisbane on a charter 777 aircraft. Banners adorned the entrance to the Shire and train stations and roads on the route were crowded with supporters and . The Queen has visited the country 16 times, usually on important milestones, anniversaries, or celebrations of Australian culture, while other royals participated in lesser occasions. By Natalie Oliveri | 2:13pm Apr 10, 2021 At Darwin The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will rejoin the Royal Yacht for their departure from Australia. However, in Australia there will not be a limit placed on mourning of the Queen. The Education Department issued school children with these commemorative covers for their exercise books. December 23, 1953 - January 31, 1954. His Royal Highness Duke of Edinburgh accepts a bouquet of flowers from a small schoolgirl from the convent school as the Royal Car moves through the Sydney suburb of Lane Cove. Line 7.0.4. his handful of settlers began in 1788 the experiment. Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived for their first visit to South Australia on Thursday, 18 March 1954. It is estimated as much as 75% of the population saw the queen and Prince Philip during this tour. 1-16 February 1990: The Queen closed the Commonwealth Games in Auckland and took part in events marking 150 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Our Royal Guests: A Colorgravure Publication. Dr George Bell donated a collection of photographs from the Queen's visit to Broken Hill, which have also been digitised. The Queen walks across the Shrine of Remembrance's forecourt on her 1954 tour. The Chief R/O for the royal tour was Charlie Roberts and the 3rd was Don Pilgrim. The Queen, accompanied by Prince Philip, is greeted by the Premier of New South Wales Joseph Cahill at . 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. Fully refurbished, this Daimler landaulette was one in a fleet of 55 British and Australian-manufactured vehicles operating throughout New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia for the 1954 royal tour. To join the conversation, please Despite the official nature of the visit, during which she attended a summit with the theme of 'The Commonwealth - Adding Global Value', Malta . Her arrival at Farm Cove, where Captain Arthur Phillip raised the British flag 165 years. The Duke of Edinburgh's retirement from public life brings an end six decades of official Royal visits to Australia. J. J. Cahill and the Prime Minister of Australia, Rt. Jane Connors, The Royal Tour of Australia, Australian Historical Studies, 100, 1993, Joanne Scott et al, The engine room of government: the Queensland Premiers Department 1859-2001, St Lucia, University of Queensland Press, 2001, The Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand 1953-54, Sydney, Consolidated Press, 1954, Peter Spearritt, 'Royal progress: the Queen and her Australian subjects', Australian cultural history, 5, 1986, Copyright Queensland Historical Atlas, 2010, Copyright Queensland Historical Atlas, 2023. The Queen's visits included opening the Sydney Opera House in 1973, Darling Harbour in 1988 and the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006. 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. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. Sir William Dargie (1919-2003) painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in late 1954 to commemorate the monarch's first visit to Australia as part of the 1953-54 royal tour of the Commonwealth. She also opened Canberra's new Parliament House, where Aboriginals were protesting. The crowds were tumultuous, the press was effusive in its praise and every street the royals paraded along was festooned with decorations. The L749 was powered by four three-bladed propeller, 18 cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 2500 horsepower. During the royal visit to the steelworks, Col said, he was allowed freedom of movement while other photographers had to remain . Join our children's literature conference, queen_elizabeth_ii_robert_menzies_duke_of_edinburgh.png. Footage of the tour of Coffs Harbour was recorded by the ABC. Line 7.0.4. his handful of settlers began in 1788 the experiment. All rights reserved. Royal visit, Western Australia, 1954. BY the first time a reigning Monarch had visited Australia, Line 7.0.3. and she landed at the spot where Governor Phillip and. Part of the fireworks display held on Sydney Harbour to welcome Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and H.R.H. The couples time in Cairns was very short, however, and by early afternoon the Queen and Duke were back on the Gothic to cruise south to Mackay through the Whitsundays. Many changes have taken place in those brief 166. Yet Queen Elizabeth II was the first reigning monarch to set foot on Terra Australis in 1954. Photography - Sydney exposed takes the first step in providing an online gateway to thousands of images highlighting the history and changing nature of Sydney, Australia's first and largest metropolis. My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome. The Library would like to thank volunteer Anne Munro for typing all the original hand-written captions for the photographs. Since her first visit in 1954, Queen Elizabeth II has visited Australia another 15 times. Mortein subsequently called the CSIRO, which provided their research freely and Aerogard was born. In 1980, it was a quick four-day visit and Prince Phillip flew in on QF4 while the Queen arrived on an RAAF 707. 22 February - 2 March 1986: This visit was an extension of visits to Nepal and Australia. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and H.R.H. Queen Elizabeths days varied from the cultural watching a surf life-saving demonstration at Bondi Beach; to the civic addressing 107,000 school children at three outdoor venues; to the constitutional opening a session of parliament. Welcome to our Royal Visitors 1954, Perth. 1. 1954, February 3 - April 1: A newly-crowned Queen Elizabeth II toured Australia with The Duke of Edinburgh. Although European settlement began in Sydney 204 years ago, the . The Royal party visited all the capital cities apart from Darwin, and over 70 country towns. This material reflects the creators attitude or that of the period in which the item was written, recorded, collected or catalogued. Stream more UK news live & on demand with Flash. Despite the distance, the Queens trip never took her inland from the Queensland coast further than Toowoomba, but many Queenslanders travelled from the inland to see their Queen. Written By Zachary Gorman. Massive crowds greeted the Queen on her first tour of Australia in 1954. The Queen and Prince Philip visited Victoria from 24 February to 9 March 1954. The Queen opening World Expo 88 at Brisbane, 30 April 1988. time signals at 9am each day. Line 7.1.0. 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 queens own reflected many Australians growing sense of embarrassment at public displays and unquestioning expressions of deference. There was feverish media speculation so they had to be smuggled into Sydney Airport and onto the plane. The afternoon tea included two fruit cakes made in the shape of crowns with jelly beans and silver cachous for jewels. Associate Professor of English, Flinders University. This new flavour of tours positioned the sovereign as an invited guest to an independent, modern and multi-cultural nation. Duke of Edinburgh were returning from a visit to the Repatriation General Hospital "Yaralla", Concord. By submitting your email you are agreeing to Nine Publishing's See https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/. Queen Elizabeth ll as part of her Australian tour. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. Her Majesty The Queen His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. The 1970 visit was to commemorate the bicentennial of Captain Cook's "discovery" of Australia and the Queen and Duke were accompanied by Anne and Charles and, again, Britannia was their base for some of the time. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and H.R.H. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and H.R.H. Arriving in Sydney on 3 February 1954 she spent two months in Australia visiting every capital city, with the exception of Darwin, and many regional and rural centres. Premier announces Queen's visit. February 5, 1954. It was 1954, a mere five months after her coronation and the first tour by a reigning monarch. Australian News Channel Pty Ltd 2017 - 2023. When Queen Elizabeth II sailed into Sydney at Farm Cove on February 3, 1954, she became the first reigning British monarch to ever set foot on Australian soil. From Brisbane the couple visited Bundaberg, Toowoomba and, briefly, Oakey on 11 March. In 1954, the newly crowned Elizabeth became the first reigning monarch to visit Australia. Duke of Edinburgh disembark from the Royal Barge at the landing pontoon, Farm Cove, Sydney. In 1992 the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh flew London to Sydney on a chartered Qantas Boeing 747-400. The booklet was distributed to school students across Australia to commemorate the Royal visit of Queen elizabeth II and Prince Phillip to Australia in 1954. Commonwealth countries will observe 10 days of mourning and remembrance in the period between the Queen's death and her funeral. Her Majesty died "peacefully" at her Balmoral home in Scotland on Thursday afternoon (local time) surrounded by close family members. The 1977 trip was also a combination of Qantas, RAAF and Britannia. For suggested attribution, see our copyright page. The precise amount of time to be spent in South Australia and Western Australia has not been determined though it is unlikely in either instance to exceed three days. Queen Elizabeth II was the first, and to date, the only reigning British monarch to visit 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. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh last . During their ten days in New South Wales, they attended 28 major programs, with events scheduled for the morning, afternoon and evening. royal_visit_souvenir_exercise_book_cover.jpg, royal_visit_a1_commemorative_silk_train_timetable.jpg, royal_visit_a2_train_timetable_bathurst_to_sydney.jpg, royal_visit_b1_special_tram_and_bus_arrangments.jpg, royal_visit_b3_public_transport_changes_6_feb1954.jpg, Splendid Species: Gould's Birds of Australia, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Kiwis lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the young royal, and her trip highlights were of the most iconic Kiwi order a Watties factory, butter churning, bridge jumping, and an ice . Britannia was in Australia in 1956 but the Queen was not on board. Get the latest news and updates emailed straight to your inbox. This 70 page booklet issued by the Department of Government Transport shows how the tram and bus timetables for Sydney services were altered during the royal visit to allow the Queen and her official party to have right-of-way. 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. and Can I reuse this image without permission? Duke of Edinburgh smilingly receive prominent citizens at the landing pontoon in Farm Cove, Sydney. Line 7.1.0. The Queen will formally thank architect Joern Utzon for designing the world famous landmark when she officially opens its new Colonnade - the first addition to the building's exterior since its completion more than 30 years ago. In May 1980, during their Australian tour, the Queen and Prince Philip visited Melbourne, where the Queen opened the still uncompleted City Square. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and H.R.H. The Queen has visited Australia 16 times and South Australians have always had a fascination with the royal family. The visit to Australia was part of a six month round-the-world tour that had begun in 1953. They show the detailed planning that went into the royal visit, which aimed to give as many people as possible the opportunity to see their queen. While the Boeing 707-320B was 46.6 metres long with a wingspan of 44.4 metres, the 747-400ER was 70.7 metres long with a wingspan of 64.4 metres. Royalty: UK Royalty. 1974, February 27-28: The royals were back to open Parliament House in Canberra. The Royal party visited all the capital cities apart from Darwin, and over 70 country towns. Duke of Edinburgh accompanied by the Governor of New South Wales (Sir John Northcott), followed by the Prime Minister (Mr. R. G. Menzies) right, and the Premier of New South Wales (Mr. J. J. Cahill). As Princess Elizabeth, she was meant to visit Australia but returned to England from Africa upon the death of her father King George VI travelling on a BOAC (now British Airways) 4-propeller Argonaut, a variation of the DC-4. She and Prince Philip also travelled to NSW as well as Canberra for the launch of the National Gallery of Australia. Australian News and Information Bureau. The 707 carried 141 passengers against the 747's 416 passengers and the 707 had a range of 9900 km vs the 747's 14,200 km range. The State Library of W.A. Perhaps over-protected from the heat and conditions of inland Queensland in 1954, the Queen's itineraryfor later tours included Mount Isa and Longreach. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Stockton, Newcastle, NSW, February 9, 1954. 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. Despite the vast distance between the Monarchs home and Australia, the Queen was a part of many peoples everyday life. This was the aircraft John Travolta bought from Qantas in 1988. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Hundreds of school-children met the Queen on her 1963 tour. On 3 February 1954, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Farm Cove in Sydney to commence their Royal Tour of Australia. During the royal visit to the steelworks, Col said, he was allowed freedom of movement while other photographers had to remain . The queens 1954 tour took place during a time described by historian Ben Pimlott as the age of British Shintoism. () With premises in Swanston Street, Victoria Banjo Club decided to showcase the 1954 Royal Tour by commissioning a unique one-off banjo mandolin for display in their front window. And Prince Philip got behind the grill at Perth's "Big Aussie Barbecue". Queen and Duke on a public dais before inspecting the display of begonias. The Queen in Australia was an important film in its time, and it remains an impressive and historic production.It was the first colour feature film made in Australia (predating Charles Chauvel's fiction film Jedda, 1955, by just a few months), and a great deal of prestige rode on its success.. Royal fever gripped the postwar nation, which seemed to fall, en masse, under the spell of the young queen. It was custom fitted with two lightweight armchairs and two beds for the royal couple. 1954 Mariner Lieutenant James Cook first claimed the east coast in the name of King George III in 1770, but no monarch set foot in Australia until Queen Elizabeth II made her first visit in 1954 .