Queen Elizabeth visited Australia 16 times during her long reign.
In 1963, the monarch and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, went to Alice Springs, later describing the trip as a highlight of that year’s royal tour of Australia.
Local historian Stuart Traynor says excitement was at a fever pitch as the royals stepped onto the tarmac and the community prepared to officially welcome the couple to the newly built Traeger Park.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh walk from the red dirt to the red carpet in Alice Springs (Supplied: Trudy Hayes, Alice Springs Public Library)
“All the kids from the schools were lined up on the oval in the shape of a big boomerang,” Traynor said.
Queen Elizabeth also toured Australia in 1977, when Australia voted overwhelmingly to replace God Save the Queen as the national anthem with Advance Australia Fair.
It’s a visit that Marietta Ayres of Traralgon, in eastern Victoria, remembers well.
Marietta Ayres has collected almost 1,000 items of Queen memorabilia. (Provided by: Marietta Ayres)
“It was very special, there was a train from East Gippsland that traveled to Royal Park station and then we went to Royal Park,” he said.
“We were at the Royal Park Oval and we all had different colors representing the Australian flag (I was red) and I just remember it being so special.
“She drove and we sang God Save the Queen and Waltzing Matilda for her.”
You can continue to read more Australians reflecting on their memories of the Queen at the link below.
Reporting by Kerrin Thomas and Melissa Fistric