Royal Visits to Australia The Australian Edition 1901-1968

This DVD collection, from the British Movietone archives, presents a rare insight into the many Royal Visits to Australia and New Zealand, and features the only complete full colour film of the Royal Visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Completing the collection is a vast collation of newsreel footage of the day, bringing the most complete collection available today.

The Queen has been a regular visitor to Australia throughout her reign. In 15 visits, The Queen has celebrated all aspects of Australian culture and life, from sheep farms to natural wonders such as the Great Barrier Reef, and from the triumph of Olympic and Commonwealth sporting meetings to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and tradition. The first visit to Australia by a reigning monarch took place in 1954. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh undertook a tour of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.

During her 1963 visit, The Queen made a unique broadcast to people in remote communities over the Flying Doctor network in Alice Springs.

In 1973, The Queen opened the landmark Sydney Opera House, an event which attracted world-wide attention. Australia also figured prominently in The Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, in which The Queen visited every state during a three-week tour.