Queen Elizabeth II royal visit to Sydney, 3 of 8
DateFebruary 1954
Object numberANMS0502[041]
NamePhotograph
DimensionsOverall: 71 x 115 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Dennis McLoughry
DescriptionQueen Elizabeth II Royal Visit to Sydney. Photo depicts Macquarie Street (CBD) decorated with arches across road.
Three in a series of eight photographs showing Sydney decorated for the Royal Visit.HistoryThe Royal Tour of 1954 was one of the biggest evnts . The Royal couple visited 57 cities and towns across all states and territories (except the Northern Territory) which allowed some 75% of the Australian population to see them.
The visit lasted two months and from their arrival in Sydney, the Queen and Duke's popularity would surpass all expectations. Even before their arrival, excitement about the visit was overwhelming. It is estimated that 200,000 people filled the streets in the city of Sydney when decorations for the royal tour were illuminated for the first time with 1 million residents lining the streets on their arrival.
The Queen repaid this adulation by attending on average five engagements a day and making 100 speeches over the course of her visit.SignificanceOn 3 February 1954, the royal barge pulled into Farm Cove, Sydney and when the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II stepped ashore, she became the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia.
