The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh continued their six-month Commonwealth Tour in Australia when they arrived in Adelaide on this day in 1954, following Tours around the United Kingdom after the Queen’s Coronation. The stops in Bermuda, Jamaica, Panama, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia were followed by visits to Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar.
From Brisbane, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh set out for South Australia, arriving at Adelaide, where they were greeted by Governor Sir Robert George and Lady George, and a procession through the city to Government House, followed by visits to the Morphetville Racecourse and the Adelaide Oval.
On 18 March the royal party departed Brisbane by air for Adelaide and the beginning of the tour of South Australia. En route, they made a scheduled stop for a “150 minute visit” to the inland, geographically-isolated, mining city of Broken Hill, NSW where the Queen and her entourage were piped off the plane as they landed at 2pm. It was estimated that the crowd of 40,000 included many outbackers from the surrounding area. Her Majesty and the Duke made use of a more humble Humber Super Snipe for the Royal Progress to the civic reception at North Park. During a subsequent visit to the Flying Doctor base, the Queen inspected an ambulance plane and made a brief speech which was carried by Flying Doctor Network radio throughout the outback.
The royal entourage later flew in to Adelaide’s Parafield Airport which was reached in the evening, thirty minutes behind schedule. They were greeted by the Governor, Sir Robert George and his wife, Lady George. All along the ten-mile route to Government House, crowds strained for a glimpse of the royal visitors. The following day, there was an official Royal Progress by limousine through the city. The streets were filled with around 300,000 cheering, flag-waving onlookers, whilst others leaned out of balconies or windows which were decorated with streamers and banners in patriotic colours of red, white and blue. At the Town Hall the Lord Mayor, Mr Rymill, presided over the ceremony of welcome for the royals. The Queen made a brief speech, but seemed somewhat distracted by a piece of grit in her eye. This was later moved with the deft use of a handkerchief. The royal party then progressed to the State War Memorial to lay a wreath. Meanwhile diligent Girl Guides could be found lining the route at Victoria Square to give some semblance of order.
In the afternoon, the Queen and her husband drove out from Government House to the Morphetville Racecourse to view the running of the Queen Elizabeth Cup. This event was organised by the South Australian Jockey Club. However, the 3,000 racegoers seemed to prefer looking directly at Her Majesty, rather than in the direction of the action on the turf. Thereafter, the royal duo travelled to the Adelaide Oval to watch a specially organised Country v City cricket match.
A few days later, the Queen (wearing Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara and the Coronation Necklace and Earrings) opened the Parliament of South Australia at Parliament House in Adelaide.
The opening of Parliament ceremony lasted barely five minutes-the quickest such ceremony in Australia
Fifty thousand people crowded around Parliament House at the corner of King William Street and North Terrace at noon lo watch the Queen arrive for the State^ opening of Parliament.
Hundreds of people fainted and between -300 and 400 people were treated in the approaches to Parliament House today during the ceremonial opening of Parliament by the Queen.
During the opening of the South Australian Parliament the, Queen wore a dress of heavy pale green-blue opalescent satin with a square neck. A long sash of streamers of green satin trailed to the hem. She wore a diamond tiara and diamond chandelier earrings.
Otherwise, it has to be said that many of the arrangements almost replicated what had occurred in the other State capitals and included, on 23 March, the Queen opening South Australia’s State Parliament, followed by her and the Duke’s attendance at a gathering of schoolchildren at Wayville Oval. In the evening, Her Majesty and His Royal Highness were present at a State Banquet at Parliament House.
This afternoon the Queen watched with apparent delight when almost 100,000 school children presented a display When the Royal party arrived the children cheered for five minutes without a pause.
That evening, the Queen (wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara and Greville Ruby Necklace ) and Duke of Edinburgh attended a Banquet hosted by the Governor and Lady George at Parliament House, at which she was presented with the Andamooka Opal Necklace from the government of South Australia.
While Members banqueted with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in Parliament House last night, wives dined together in the Parliamentary library. They saw the Royal Visitors arrive in the Assembly, then the Queen, in all her jewelled glory, visited the wives after the banquet.
Her Majesty glowed in the Victorian solemnity of the Assembly in her crystal and silver embroidered white gown, with little fan-shaped in lets of chiffon at the hem line. She wore her fleur-de-lys diamond tiara, and a magnificent cascade necklace of diamonds and great rubies.
She and the Duke arrived promptly at 8 p.m., with the Lady Pamela Mountbatten in ciel blue silver embroidered satin gown and pearl tiara; the Queen’s private secretary (Sir Michael Adeane), the Acting Master of the Royal Household (Capt. the Viscount Al thorp), Lt-Col. the Hon. M. Charteris.
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were tendered a State banquet to-night. The South Australian Government’s gift to the Queen was a glittering opal and diamond necklet and set of earrings. the Duke was presented with opal sleeve-links.
The famous Andamooka opal, a fiery white, stone of 203 carats, was presented to the Queen” tonight as South Australia’s gift. It ls flanked by two smaller white opals in á necklet set with 180 diamonds. Opal and . diamond earrings match the necklet. The Queen appeared delighted with the gift when she received it from the Premier (Mr. Playord), at a parliamentary banquet.
White opal cuff links, mounted in white gold, were presented to the Duke of Edinburgh. The Andamooka opal is celebrated as one of the finest ever found in Australia. The rough stone measured four inches by two inches when it was turned over by a miner’s pick at Andamooka, South Australia, in 1949. Adelaide crowds tonight were probably the last to ‘ see the Queen in full evening dress during the tour, Because of the curtailment of the West Australian programme, her formal night engagements, there are out. :f This afternoon, the Queen broke a record by opening the South Australian Parliament in five ‘ minutes.
They heard the speeches from the adjoining banquet relayed through a loud speaker, and were shown pictures of the opal neck lace and cuff links presented to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness.
Their great moment came when the Queen and the Royal entourage entered the library after the banquet, and the Premier (Mr. Playford) presented the wives.
The Queen smiled and made an occasional comment; the Duke was in gay spirits, and cheerfully twitted the wives about the great chocolate log cakes left uneaten and uncut on the table.
“Worrying about your figures?” he asked gaily.
Following trips to several towns throughout South Australia, the Queen (in Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara) and Duke of Edinburgh visited the Royal Music Festival at the Wayville Oval, with the Queen wearing the Andamooka Opal.
Nonetheless, the organisers of this leg also ensured that the Queen and the Duke undertook several day trips from Adelaide to various South Australian towns including, on 20 March, Whyalla (where indigenous dancers performed a corroboree) and Port Lincoln. This was followed by a trip westwards to Renmark and Wildura on 25 March. The latter town was actually situated over the state line in Victoria, but like Renmark, it was situated on the Murray River, and the Queen had made an express wish to view the Murray Valley Irrigation Project. She also found time to visit a local vineyard. Somehow, an investiture, a Woman’s Lunch, a Lord Mayor’s Garden Party (held at Elder Park) and an evening visit to a Royal Music Festival at Wayville Oval were slotted into the schedule on 24 March. At the Music Festival, the Queen sported a magnificent green-fire Andamooka Opal pendant set in diamonds-the opal weighing a massive 203 carats. This pendant necklace-along with a matching pair of drop earrings-was a gift from the government of South Australia.
