royal tour 1954 itinerary

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• Abstract Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will visit Australia from February 3 to April 1, 1954, it was announced in a broad outline of the royal tour itinerary released by the Prime Minister's Department to-day.
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The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Sat 7 Feb 1953, Page 1 - ROYAL TOUR ITINERARY ANNOUNCED FOR 1954

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SNAPSHOT: The 1954 Royal Tour

Princess Elizabeth was en route to Australia, via Kenya, when she received news in February 1952 of the premature death of her father, 56-year-old King George VI. She hastily abandoned her trip but visited Australia two years later as the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II, the first and only reigning British monarch ever to do so. That 1954 visit was the first of 16 royal tours by the Queen to Australia but was, by every measure, the most successful – and resoundingly so. Royal fever gripped the postwar nation, which seemed to fall, en masse, under the spell of the young queen. During the two-month sojourn it’s estimated that more than 7 million Australians – 70 per cent of the population – attempted to see Elizabeth and her consort, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

In Sydney, 1 million residents reportedly thronged the harbour foreshore and lined the city streets, waiting for hours just to glimpse the royal couple following their arrival on 3 February 1954 at Farm Cove aboard the royal barge.

During the following 58 days, the pair visited 57 towns and cities across the country on an exhausting program of public engagements and community and sporting events. They saw natural wonders such as the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef, and watched surf carnivals and gymnastics displays. They met Indigenous leaders, war veterans, farmers and factory workers and hordes of schoolchildren. Australia presented itself as a confident and vigorous young nation with seemingly boundless resources. It was forward-looking while still valuing its strong bonds with the motherland.

It wasn’t until the Queen’s next tour, in 1963, that Prime Minister Menzies famously quoted the poetic phrase “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”. But he was already feeling effusive in 1954, and avowed his most profound and passionate feelings of loyalty and devotion to the throne in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald .

Formal celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – 70 years on the throne – the first British monarch to reach such a milestone, will take place in the UK across the long weekend 2–5 June 2022. Among the events and celebrations here in Australia, the Queen’s Jubilee Program is providing up to $15.1 million in grants to eligible groups and organisations for community-based tree-planting programs.

For more information, see The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 .

All photographs by Max Dupain/Courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales

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The 1954 royal tour

A royal visitor.

On 3 February 1954, the steamship Gothic arrived in Sydney Harbour, carrying the first reigning monarch to visit Australia – Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip. In just under 2 months, the royal couple would travel around Australia by train, car, and plane. They would visit almost every capital city except Darwin, and 40 country towns. Among the revellers, children turned up en masse to view the royal couple, and some even participated in official events. 

A tremendous task

In Sydney, an estimated 120,000 children and their teachers gathered in Centennial Park, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and the Sydney Showgrounds. The Herald reported transporting the students took 80 trains, 209 trams and 214 busses. At the SCG, students were organised into concentric circles so that the royal couple’s Land Rover could pass within 24 feet (7.3 metres) of most of the children. The children were issued coloured streamers attached to short sticks called ‘wavers,’ which came to life at 11:40 am when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh entered the cricket grounds. An enthusiastic roar accompanied the rush of excitement. 

Similar gatherings took place in other large cities. For example, a children’s pageant was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The pageant included children from 6 to 18 years of age, marching, performing callisthenics, and maypole dancing while wearing colourful costumes. As the grand finale, the children formed the word ‘WELCOME’, and the Queen and Duke boarded a Land Rover so that they could drive among the performers. At this point, some exuberant children broke free of their ranks, swamping the royal car and briefly stalling its progress. Finally, the amused Duke ordered them to clear the way.

'OUR QUEEN'

The formation of words by children in tableaux performances occurred across Australia. In Brisbane and outside of Parliament House, they formed the phrase ‘OUR QUEEN.’ At the Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide, they formed the word ‘LOYALTY’ and at Manuka Oval in Canberra, ‘WELCOME.’  Throngs of people, keen to catch a glimpse of the nation’s sovereign, greeted the royal couple everywhere they travelled. Their journey and activities were meticulously recorded and compiled by film director Colin Dean and his team. The footage formed the first colour full-length feature film made in Australia. Included is a section devoted to the children’s contribution to the celebrations, capturing the young audience's enthusiasm. 

The Queen in Australia (feature film)

The aftermath

While the effort to put on these displays was enormous, time spent with the children was extremely short. Although the royal couple were only in Canberra for 4 full days, the Queen's schedule was unrelenting. It included opening Parliament, unveiling the Australian-American Memorial, opening Union House at the Australian National University, and laying a wreath and planting a tree at the Australian War Memorial. They also attended Manuka Oval for the children’s welcome, only to depart 30 minutes later. 

Records held by the National Archives include detailed communications, maps, and diagrams used in the organisation of royal events. The day was likely exhausting for the young participants, with many students arriving at the events hours before they were due to commence. A photo from our collection shows exhausted muddy revellers, slightly dishevelled yet still clutching and waving their commemorative flags.   

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Milestones of a Monarch: The Commonwealth Tour of 1953-1954

The story of how Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne—that she went up a tree a princess and climbed back down a queen—and the aborted tour of Australia and New Zealand by way of Kenya that had to be postponed is well-documented. But what of her first official tour as The Queen?

In late 1953, The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh embarked on a Commonwealth Tour that would see them visiting 13 Commonwealth realms, travelling over 44,000 miles, and making her the first Monarch to visit Australia and New Zealand.

The Queen and Prince Philip began the Commonwealth Tour on 24 November 1953 in Bermuda, arriving in Jamaica the next day. From there, The Queen and Prince Philip departed Jamaica on 27 November and arrived in Fiji on 17 December.

A tour of Fiji and Tonga ensued from 17-20 December before the couple arrived in New Zealand, making her the first Monarch to visit the realm.

The Queen and Prince Philip spent Christmas in New Zealand, with The Queen recording her Christmas message from Government House in Auckland. She said: “My husband and I left London a month ago, but we have already paid short visits to Bermuda, Jamaica, Fiji and Tonga, and have passed through Panama. I should like to thank all our hosts very warmly for the kindness of their welcome and the great pleasure of our stay.

“In a short time we shall be visiting Australia and later Ceylon and before we end this great journey we shall catch a glimpse of other places in Asia, Africa and in the Mediterranean.

“So this will be a voyage right round the world – the first that a Queen of England has been privileged to make as Queen. But what is really important to me is that I set out on this journey in order to see as much as possible of the people and countries of the Commonwealth and Empire, to learn at first hand something of their triumphs and difficulties and something of their hopes and fears.

“At the same time I want to show that the Crown is not merely an abstract symbol of our unity but a personal and living bond between you and me.”

The Queen and Prince Philip were in New Zealand until 30 January 1954, arriving in Australia for an eight-week tour on 3 February. According to the State Library of New South Wales, in their 58 days touring Australia, they visited 57 towns and cities.

After leaving Australia on 1 April, The Queen and Prince Philip travelled to the Cocos Islands, arriving on 5 April.

From 10-21 April—The Queen’s birthday—they visited Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and on 27 April they visited Aden. The couple then spent the final days of April in Uganda before touring Malta from 3-7 May and wrapping up the Commonwealth Tour in Gibraltar on 10 May.

The Queen and Prince Philip arrived back in London on 15 May 1954 aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, greeting their young children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, at the dock.

The Queen would celebrate her Silver Jubilee in 1977 with another break-neck Commonwealth Tour that saw her and Prince Philip visiting 14 countries including Western Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Barbados.

In 2002, for the Golden Jubilee, The Queen and Prince Philip visited Jamaica, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. By 2012, the year of the Diamond Jubilee, The Queen and Prince Philip had all but ceased international visits, so members of the Royal Family undertook tours on their behalf.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex visited Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Gibraltar, and Montserrat. The Princess Royal visited Mozambique and Zambia.

Prince Harry visited the Bahamas, Belize, and Jamaica. The Duke of Gloucester visited the British Virgin Islands, Uganda and Malta. The Duke of York visited India

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Remembering the 1954 Royal Tour

by Catrina Vignando on 18 February, 2014

In February, 60 years ago, HRH, Queen Elizabeth II, came to Australia. It was 1954, a mere five months after her coronation and the first tour by a reigning monarch.

The Queen’s Royal visit was a two-month journey across Australia. An estimated 75% of Australia’s population were able to catch a glimpse of the young Queen as she travelled to 57 cities including regional centres such as Cairns, Lismore, Shepparton, Whyalla and Kalgoorlie.

Her extensive itinerary was aided by the use of very sturdy vehicles that included six Royal Daimlers. These vehicles were specifically commissioned for the Australian Tour. One of these cars, a 1948 Daimler landaulette, now resides at the National Museum of Australia.

As part of the 60th anniversary of the Royal tour, the National Museum has embarked on the Royal Daimler Project restoring this car to its former glory.

Celebrate this anniversary of the Royal visit by helping us to make the Royal Daimler fit for a Queen again.

We need your help to raise $60,000 towards the conservation of the vehicle. To make your donation on our website

Watch out for more Royal gems as over the next few months we will feature more Royal memorabilia from the National Historical Collection at the NMA.

We would love your thoughts and comments on Australia’s Royal romance. Are we just as taken by the Royals as we were in 1954?

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Looking Back - Past history being made now

Leo Billington

Queen Elizabeth 11 succeeded to the Throne on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI.

Before the King’s death, a proposed 1954 royal tour was a much-anticipated event. Planning had commenced in 1949 for King George VI to visit Australia and New Zealand. However, due to the King’s ill health, in October 1951, it was decided the then Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh would undertake the trip instead.

By the time the 1954 royal tour arrived in Australia, the princess was then Queen.

In Traralgon, Morwell, Moe and Yallourn, Councillors and other luminaries began to stamp their presence. Arrangements were necessary.

Morwell Shire Council President, Councillor Alan Hall called a public meeting for Monday October 5, 1953. There was one agenda item – “to arrange Morwell’s part in the celebrations for the visit of her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth 11.”( Morwell Advertiser, September 24, 1953.)

A decision was made somewhere else in Australia that “on the trip through the Latrobe Valley, the Royal party will stop at Traralgon and Yallourn, and the royal train will pass through Morwell at three miles per hour.”

This itinerary was not quite what Morwellians wanted but it was “set in granite” and a change was not possible.

So, on with the show, so to speak. At the public meeting, discussion focussed on whether school children would travel to Traralgon. If this was agreed, was there an allocated area or, should the children assemble along the railway line at Morwell? The meeting also discussed arrangements for decorating Morwell.

Apparently, the train would travel from Traralgon at six miles per hour, then slow down to three mph. Hence, children assembled along the line would get a better view. It was estimated more than 1000 children would need to be transported to Traralgon.

While Councillors were wondering, Mr J Eliot, headmaster at Commercial Road State School, decided he had best think about the logistics of having children see the passing train. With Councillor White supporting him, Mr Eliot was pointed out over 2,000 children from Morwell and district were wanting to see Her Majesty. Mr Eliot made a valiant offer – he would organise children along the railway line opposite the school. Council deferred on this offer.

On January 7, 1954, Councillor Jim Bush made a bold suggestion at Council’s meeting immediately before Christmas – that occupants of houses fronting the railway line are certain to be asked to decorate their homes for the day the Royal train passes through Morwell.

Hence, the matter was passed to the Morwell Decorations Committee. Councillor Bush, also being a member of the Morwell Chamber of Commerce, indicated that bunting would be used to decorate the town. However, a decision was made somewhere else that the railway station would not be decorated, as once proposed, because the Royal train was not stopping.

The Decorations Committee was asked to lobby for a change in this decision.

Seven days later, it was announced the Royal train would arrive at Morwell doing a “testing run” at 11.32 am. It would then return en-route to Melbourne from Traralgon at 2.25 pm. Two chances to see the “testing run”.

Still in that same week, a competition was announced – with a first prize of 5/5/- for the winner – to design an appropriate Royal pennant for waving as the train went past. A winner was selected, Master D Mowat of 5 Gona Street, Morwell, and the Morwell Shire Council agreed to order 2000 pennants in gold lettering on a royal blue base. These pennants would be distributed “to the children of the Shire” the day of the Royal visit. (Morwell Advertiser, January 14, 1954)

Still in that same week, the Morwell Shire Council did not think the allocated special train to take Morwell shire residents, including school children, to Traralgon would be large enough. There were plans for a special train carrying an expected 700 passengers to come into Morwell from Mirboo North. This train would also bring passengers from Boolarra and Yinnar. Train fares had to be paid.

On January 28, 1954, Morwell Shire Council announced it was considering a full day public holiday as did Yallourn and Traralgon. On February 25, 1954, a formal announcement was made that all Gippsland municipalities would observe March 3, 1954 as a full public holiday.

Plans for local entertainment were also outlined, modern dancing in the Traralgon RSL hall, Old Time Dance in Traralgon’s Town hall, with proceeds going toward defraying Morwell’s financial commitments. A portrait of the Queen, which was in Morwell’s Shire Chambers, was to adorn Traralgon’s Town Hall that is, only on loan.

With one month to go, people of note were starting to run around in ever decreasing circles. Who was doing flower decorations? Should there also be paper flowers made – if yes, by whom? Then was the “burning issue” – how to obtain enough railway carriage space to enable hundreds of persons to effectively travel across to Traralgon? (It became evident that school children were coming from Leongatha as well.)

By early February, working bees were busy making flower decorations. Who was paying for all this? Morwell business owners were encouraged to decorate shops and premises. Latrobe Valley Buslines offered some assistance to carry passengers from outlying areas such as Morwell Bridge, Hazelwood and anywhere in-between. Was traffic chaos expected? Who would manage traffic congestion? Who will assist with disabled children? (Morwell Advertiser, February 11, 1954).

More questions required answers with three weeks to go. With 600 cubs and scouts expected, who will co-ordinate this aspect? Sunday working bees were required to have decorations ready. Perhaps houses facing the railway line should be decorated.

Who or what might underwrite the cost to support Traralgon’s outlay? An idea – have a town garden competition to raise money. Also, and this happened, appeal to local residents for money. Within the remaining weeks, a grand total of 193/2/- was raised. Success!

Why was Traralgon being considered more important than Morwell? Councillor White deplored the decision not to have the railway station decorated. He felt it “would create the impression that Morwell was dead.” (Morwell Advertiser, February 25, 1954.) Some Councillors opposed any payment to Traralgon – they wanted the honour while someone else paid for it some believed. One Councillor suggested Morwell “looked after its own section.”

Morwell Shire Council did eventually agree to supply two trucks and about 12 men for a period of three days.

The Morwell Advertiser, March 4, 1954 trumpeted the following, as its front page:

“An estimated 70,000 Latrobe Valley and Gippsland residents gave the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh a tremendous welcome at Traralgon, Morwell and Yallourn yesterday. From the moment that the Queen made her appearance on the official dais at Traralgon, until the Royal train left Yallourn, the loyalty, affection and pride of the people was expressed in scenes of moving enthusiasm. History was made with the visit of Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, and in its making, all who were privileged to catch a glimpse of Her Majesty, gained an unforgettable memory that will rank as the experience of a lifetime. Particularly impressive was the magnificent reception accorded the Royal couple by the children, and at both Traralgon and Yallourn, they were given prominent positions.”

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Royal Tour 1953/54 Archive; D_2017-069

Maritime Museum Tasmania

Royal Tour 1953/54 Archive

A collection of documents relating to the Royal visit in 1953/54. Photocopy Extract from "The Building of Britannia" Photocopies Extracts from "The Examiner" 1963 visit Book Itinerary and Outline Programe Staff issue Chart Outward Journey 1953-54 Chart Homeward Journey 1953-54 Chart Royal Tour of Australia and New Zealand 1952 Photocopy Photo on board Crossing the line ceremony 53-54 tour Photocopy Photo from "The Times" Jamaica Queen and Duke of Edinburgh joining tour 53-54 tour Photocopy Photo on board Crossing the line ceremony 53-54 tour Photocopy Photo on board from "The Times" Fiji Photocopy Photo on board from "The Times" Radio room 53-54 tour Photocopy Victoria dock Visit 1954 Letter From Gen Manager Marconi to D C Clayton Bonus Document D C Clayton 21st birthday notes Signatures officers Gothic Signal CC Marconigram Notification of death of KG IV Signal CC Unclassified Message Condolence message Signal CC Unclassified Message Response from the Queen Photocopy Photo Album 1953 tour Document Record of Royal Tours to Hobart Author Rex Cox Photo Crew of Gothic Includes Queen and Duke of Edinburgh Clear Plastic Envelope --contents 1 Post card of SS Gothic 2 Hon Member's Ticket for D Clayton Amateur Sports Club of Victoria 3 Visiting Member's Card The South Australian Tattersalls Club 4 Free Pass South Australian Railways 5 Invitation - Honarary membership for D Clayton Colombo Club 6 Letter re Royal Sydney Golf Club Hon Mebership From Lord Althorp 7 Maori Haka Programme 8 Message to Crew of Gothic From Queen Document British Seamn's Identity Card D Clayton Document Seaman's Record Book D Clayton Document Passenger List SS Gothic 1952 Document Radar maintenance Certificate D Clayton Document Radio telegraphy licence D Clayton Document Magazine "Marconi Mariner" Nov/Dec 1953 Article re Gothic and D Clayton Clear Plastic Envelope --contents 1 Honorary Club Membership D Clayton The Adelaide Bowling Club 2 Honorary Member's card D Clayton Commercial Traveller's Assoc. of S. Aus. 3 Honoray Membership Card D Clayton Commercial Traveller's Club Melbourne 4 Honorary Membership Card D Clayton Royal Automobile Club Victoria 5 Temporary Membership Card Stock Exchange Club Adelaide 6 Honorary Membership Card D Clayton Royal St Kilda Yacht Club 7 Military Parade tcicket 8 Military Parade ---Vehicle identity card? Document Magazine "Marconi Mariner" May/June 1954 Article re Royal tour Document Magazine "The Communicator" Vol 8 No. 1 Easter 1954 Article re Royal tour Document " The Times" Pictorial Record Royal Tour Document "The Mercury" 23/02/1954 Queen in Hobart Cloth strip Piece of flag ? Commemorative Medal Royal Tour 1953/54

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Royal tour Daimler landaulette

A stately DE 36hp Daimler landaulette used by Queen Elizabeth II during her iconic 1954 royal tour is one of the most treasured cars in the Museum's collection.

Watch the full Daimler Live at the Museum video on YouTube

1954 royal tour of Australia

The newly crowned monarch, Elizabeth, and the Duke of Edinburgh, departed the United Kingdom for a royal tour of the Commonwealth from November 1953 to May 1954. The visit strengthened Australia's relationship with Britain.

The tour prompted Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies to joyously proclaim 'the most profound and passionate feelings of loyalty and devotion'. It was the culmination of an era when respect for the pageantry of inherited European institutions was instilled in Australians.

The Australian tour covered 27,000 miles (43,452 kilometres) by car, train, aircraft and boat. It visited all states and territories, except the Northern Territory. The Queen was introduced to many different people, products and places.

An estimated 75 per cent of Australians saw the Queen and the tour was judged an extraordinary success. This mass excitement was not unfounded; anticipation of a royal arrival had been building for five years.

Today it can be viewed as a cultural milestone that evokes strong memories for many Australians who grew up in a period of extensive social and cultural change.

Museum conservation

The Daimler arrived at the Museum in 2009 in a dilapidated state. A long-term conservation and restoration plan based on the vehicle's significance was developed by the Museum's curatorial and conservation teams.

The Daimler shortly after it arrived at the Museum. National Museum of Australia

Although much of its glamour is somewhat diminished, the car retained almost all of its original fittings and impressive bodywork and was the perfect vehicle for Museum conservators to showcase their skills in returning it to its former glory.

Museum supporters and partners helped to raise more than $60,000 towards the conservation. The Daimler project was completed in 2019.

Queen Elizabeth with Daimler landaulette outside Newcastle City Hall in The Royal Visit to New South Wales, official record... , ed. Oswald Ziegler, Sydney, 1954

George VI and Elizabeth II

This vehicle is one of two intact survivors of a fleet of six Daimler DE 36hp models originally commissioned by Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley in 1948 for the proposed 1949 royal tour of Australia by King George VI.

By sourcing these very British cars, it seems the Australian Government sought to preserve ties with British industry and culture.

A classic choice, the Daimler Motor Company in Coventry had enjoyed many years of royal patronage and undertook highly regarded bespoke coach-built commissions for ceremonial purposes.

This imposing four-ton landaulette vehicle was fabricated by coachbuilders Hooper and Company on a purpose-built Daimler chassis powered by a 'straight eight' (eight cylinders in line) engine.

Almost six metres long, it had luxurious interior fittings such as an electrically operated sun roof and windows, cream Bedford cord and blue leather upholstery, a walnut dash, roller-sprung silk window blinds, engraved glass light fittings and ashtrays, and thick fitted carpets. The folding landau section would allow the occupants to be easily seen, yet give some protection from the heat and dust of an Australian summer.

To the shock and disappointment of many, however, the tour was cancelled at the very last minute owing to the King's poor health. Extensive plans had already been made – the fleet was completed, crated and waiting to be dispatched to Sydney.

Under these circumstances, the Australian Government was required to fulfil its financial obligation to the Daimler Motor Company.

Jack Beasley, the Australian High Commissioner in London, was able to sell two Daimlers to the Maharajah of Mysore in India, but the high tax payable on luxury cars did not make these large and ostentatious vehicles attractive purchases in post-war Britain. The cars were modified to suit ceremonial requirements; at almost two metres in height, they were described as 'too great to enable them to go under many of England's low bridges'.

Still lacking buyers, the remaining four Daimlers were shipped to Australia in 1949, where they became part of the government car pool and were used sparingly by the Governor-General, Sir William McKell. After another postponement of the royal tour in 1952, the four cars were recalled for duty for the glamourous young Queen two years later.

Coachbuilder's plate showing the Daimler's royal connection. National Museum of Australia

Royal Visit Car Company

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.

According to the Queen's itinerary, detachments of the main fleet were transported around the country by air and rail to supplement sub-fleet vehicles in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia, bringing the total to 115 vehicles.

Administered with military precision by the Royal Visit Car Company, the management of the convoy was no mean feat. The company registered an astounding 500,000 miles covered by motor car over the duration of the tour, with barely a delay or incident.

In a pre-television age, this logistical efficiency was instrumental in allowing an estimated 75 per cent of Australia's population to see the Queen at least once during the tour's two-month duration.

The Daimler before final paint and bodywork in 2018. National Museum of Australia

The Daimler before final paint and bodywork in 2018

Warm welcome for the royal visitors

Families travelled many miles from their homes in the hope of catching a glimpse of the royal couple.

The abiding memory for those Australians who did not get the opportunity to press the Queen's gloved hand or attend a royal ball or garden party, was of her waving hand and smiling face as she glided by during the Royal Progress, a stately drive enacted through upwards of 80 towns and urban centres across Australia.

Many photographs of the day capture the smartly dressed crowds clustered at a respectful distance, flanked by hordes of expectant children and hovering policemen. Even the media entourage, who recorded the Queen's every move, crouched in neat unobtrusive rows as she cruised past at 6 mph.

This Daimler landaulette, generally used to transport the Queen from airports towards town centres and to evening engagements, acquired an iconic character of its own and became synonymous with the 1954 royal tour as captured by the many lenses of the media and public.

Vice-regal appointment

As the excitement of the tour began to fade, the Australian Government again faced the issue of disposing of the four Daimler vehicles. By now six years old and increasingly unfashionable, they were replaced in the Commonwealth government car pool by newer Humber vehicles.

The Daimler's engine before conservation. National Museum of Australia

A few months after the tour, this Daimler landaulette was sold to the Governor of South Australia, Sir Robert George, who enthused that the car was 'a splendid acquisition which we shall be proud to use in our duties to the state'.

It indeed graced various vice-regal occasions, including the opening of parliament in 1957 and the Governor's farewell tour of Adelaide in 1960.

By the early 1960s the car had again become surplus to requirements. Described as 'on its last wheels', it required extensive maintenance and the Governor's motor garage staff expressed doubts as to the future availability of parts due to the decline in the market for bespoke coach-built vehicles.

Sold on, it passed through two further South Australian owners in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2009 it was purchased by the Museum from a private collector.

Significance of the 1954 royal tour

This Daimler landaulette is an iconic symbol of the 1954 royal tour and reminds us of a period when royalty were far more accessible to the public. Not only visually impressive, it has strong relevance to broad areas of Australian history and is themes including the monarchy in Australia and innovation in the motor industry.

Customised short-wheelbase Land Rover utility 1958, manufactured by the Rover Company, Solihull, with coachwork by the Pressed Metal Co., Sydney. This vehicle was part of a fleet of Land Rovers maintained by the Australian Government for royal tours and other vice-regal occasions. National Museum of Australia

The monarch’s off-road vehicle of choice

Between the 1950s and 1970s, the Australian Government also maintained a fleet of Land Rovers for royal tours and vice-regal occasions. It is no secret that the Queen is fond of these off-road vehicles and has owned one or two herself during her 70-year reign. Perhaps her wartime training as a mechanic sparked an interest.

This 1958 Land Rover utility was used for her visits to Queensland in the 1960s and 1970s, where it handled bumpy roads and grassy showgrounds with ease.

Customised in Sydney to the Queen's specifications, it includes a protective screen and handrail to help avoid flying skirts and lost hats in windy weather. Reportedly dismissing the idea of a protective roof in favour of using an umbrella, the Queen was occasionally drenched by tropical downpours.

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