'A beloved friend': Queen Elizabeth II's enduring relationship with Australia

Queen Elizabeth II's reign included 16 visits to Australia and spanned 16 prime ministers. She travelled with Australia from pre-decimal days into the modern era, creating a lasting relationship with the country and many of its people.

Queen Elizabeth greets a crowd in Hobart, Tasmania in 1970. Source: Getty / Central Press

Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia 16 times during her long reign and, every time, she was embraced by adoring fans.

The head of the Commonwealth's last visit was in 2011 but, whether physically here or in Britain, her presence has long been felt by many in the country.

Crowds throng to greet Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip after they arrived in Sydney on the royal yacht SS Gothic on February 3, 1954. Credit: NSW State Archives

She first set foot on Australian soil just months after she was crowned Queen. It was February 1954, and Elizabeth, then 27, became the first reigning monarch to visit.

The trip was keenly anticipated, and an estimated 75 per cent of the then-population of almost nine million people turned out to catch a glimpse of her and her husband, Prince Philip.

The Queen and Prince Philip wave to the crowd during their visit to Australia in 1954. Credit: Fox Photos/Getty Images

The eight-week tour saw her visit 57 towns and cities across Australia, with her official duties including meeting 70,000 ex-servicemen and women at the MCG and opening parliaments across the country.

Adoration followed Australia's head of state, and little changed on fifteen subsequent visits - sparking renewed affection among new generations.

The Queen takes a picture during a visit to the Lindsay Park horse stud in South Australia in 1977. Credit: PA/PA

Among her more memorable moments were the grand opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973, closing the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982, opening the Games in Melbourne in 2006 and her two trips to central Australia.

Queen Elizabeth II smiles at Prince Philip during the closing ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane. Credit: PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images

But there were controversies too, including when then Prime Minister Paul Keating guiding the Queen with his hand during her 1992 visit, led to accusations he had breached royal protocol and a UK newspaper headline labelling him the ‘Lizard of Oz’.

But asked later if he was insulted by the episode, the then Prince Charles said: "No. Nor was the Queen".

Queen Elizabeth greets a crowd in Hobart, Tasmania in 1970. Source: Getty / Central Press

The Queen's visits stalled during the late 1990s to avoid heated debate about the future of the monarchy.

Her next trip was timed well after the 1999 referendum on the republic, with its defeat partly attributed to the Queen's significance to so many Australians.

Gough Whitlam on the steps of Parliament House in Canberra after his government's dismissal on November 11, 1975. Credit: SUPPLIED/PR IMAGE

During Queen Elizabeth's reign there were 15 Australian governors-general and 16 prime ministers.

The most notorious incident came in 1975 when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was dismissed from office by the Queen's representative.

A long legal fight to make public 220 Palace letters between then Governor-General Sir John Kerr and the Queen's private secretary prevailed in 2020 - showing she was not aware of, nor sanctioned, his actions.

Queen Elizabeth with then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard at Parliament House in Canberra in 2011. Credit: Pool/Getty Images

The Queen's final visit came in 2011, when she was 85. She received praise from then prime minister Julia Gillard, Australia's first woman in the job and also a staunch republican.

"In this, the home of Australian democracy, you are a vital constitutional part, not a guest, just as in this nation you can only ever be welcomed as a beloved and respected friend," Ms Gillard said.

Queen Elizabeth with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Windsor Castle in June 2021. Source: Getty / WPA Pool/Getty Images

While 2011 was the Queen's last visit here, she welcomed a number of Australian prime ministers during visits to London, including Scott Morrison and Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Morrison created headlines during a visit in June 2021 when he told the Queen she had been "quite the hit" at the earlier G7 conference in Cornwall.

Following her death, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: "This time of mourning will pass but the deep respect and warm regard in which Australians always held Her Majesty will never fade".