Queen Elizabeth II's visits to Australia: How the Queen travelled, from Royal yachts to private 747s

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Queen Elizabeth II's visits to Australia: How the Queen travelled, from Royal yachts to private 747s

By David McGonigal
Updated
Queen Elizabeth during her 1954 visit, where she toured the country on board a Qantas Lockheed Constellation L749.

Queen Elizabeth during her 1954 visit, where she toured the country on board a Qantas Lockheed Constellation L749.Credit: Qantas

As we both celebrate the life, and mourn the loss, of Queen Elizabeth II it's fascinating to see how much travel changed during her 70 years on the throne. That is reflected in her 16 visits to Australia.

As Princess Elizabeth, she was meant to visit Australia but returned to England from Africa upon the death of her father King George VI travelling on a BOAC (now British Airways) 4-propeller Argonaut, a variation of the DC-4. The aircraft had a 36-metre wingspan, was 28.5 metres long and cruised at 523 km/h with a range of 6210 km. It was custom fitted with two lightweight armchairs and two beds for the royal couple.

Her first visit to Australia was in February 1954 on a Royal Yacht the SS Gothic (Britannia's maiden voyage was still some months away). As on subsequent voyages the Queen came ashore off a Royal Barge - fittingly, at Farm Cove in Sydney Harbour.

The Queen and Prince Phillip during their 1970 visit.

The Queen and Prince Phillip during their 1970 visit. Credit: Qantas

While in Australia the royals flew around on a specially fitted out Qantas Lockheed Constellation L749. The L749 was powered by four three-bladed propeller, 18 cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 2500 horsepower. It could carry up to 81 passengers and cruised more than 8000 km at 555 km/h at a ceiling of 7300 metres.

Britannia was in Australia in 1956 but the Queen was not on board. Rather Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh was here to open the Melbourne Olympic Games.

The Queen returned to Australia in 1963 but this time she flew in from Christchurch, New Zealand for Canberra's Jubilee. She and Prince Phillip flew on a Qantas Boeing 707 and that flight was the first jet passenger aircraft to land at Christchurch. Britannia had been sent on ahead to be used as her base as she then circumnavigated the nation.

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth went from travelling to Australia by ship to arriving far more quickly on board chartered Boeing 747 and 777 jets.

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth went from travelling to Australia by ship to arriving far more quickly on board chartered Boeing 747 and 777 jets.Credit: Qantas

That 707, part of Qantas' V-jet fleet, was era-defining in many ways. Qantas was the first carrier outside the US to buy 707s and required special specifications to operate in Fiji's heat off short runways. It introduced Australia to the jet age and affordable air travel - and flew much faster that the Constellation. This was the aircraft John Travolta bought from Qantas in 1988.

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The Queen's 1963 visit was responsible for another significant technological breakthrough. During World War II the CSIRO had modified a sheep blowfly treatment to protect Australian troops against malarial mosquitoes.

There were worries that the Queen's flawless complexion would be marred by Canberra mossies so she was sprayed before she set out on a game of golf. The media noticed that the official party were remarkably fly-free. Mortein subsequently called the CSIRO, which provided their research freely and Aerogard was born.

For her visits in 1970, 1973 and 1977 the Queen flew to Australia on Qantas 707s. The 1970 visit was to commemorate the bicentennial of Captain Cook's "discovery" of Australia and the Queen and Duke were accompanied by Anne and Charles and, again, Britannia was their base for some of the time. The 1973 visit was mainly for her to open the Sydney Opera House.

In February 1981, Qantas flew Diana Spencer and her mother to London for the engagement announcement. There was feverish media speculation so they had to be smuggled into Sydney Airport and onto the plane. It would be hard to think of a more suitable vehicle to do that than in a Toyota Corona – it would only be more fitting if she was marrying into the Spanish royal family where "corona" simply means "crown".

The 1974 visit utilised Britannia, RAAF aircraft and Qantas and it included Papua New Guinea, Norfolk Island and Australia. The Queen and Duke had Princess Anne and Mark Phillips as well as Lord Mountbatten with them, but a UK general election was called so the Queen had to return to London, leaving Phillip to complete the official duties. The 1977 trip was also a combination of Qantas, RAAF and Britannia.

In 1980, it was a quick four-day visit and Prince Phillip flew in on QF4 while the Queen arrived on an RAAF 707. In 1981 she flew in on a RAAF 707 and Britannia was awaiting her in Melbourne. In 1982 her arrival and departure for the Brisbane Commonwealth Games was by RAAF 707 then she met up with the Duke and Britannia. Her visit in 1986 was slightly different in that she arrived in Canberra on an Air New Zealand Boeing 727, joined Britannia and left on an RAAF 707 to return to London. In 1988, for the Bicentenary, it was the by now familiar RAAF 707 arrival.

In 1992 the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh flew London to Sydney on a chartered Qantas Boeing 747-400. While this aircraft was the natural evolution of the 707, the 747 jumbo jet took international flying to a whole new level of accessibility and affordability. While the Boeing 707-320B was 46.6 metres long with a wingspan of 44.4 metres, the 747-400ER was 70.7 metres long with a wingspan of 64.4 metres. The 707 carried 141 passengers against the 747's 416 passengers – and the 707 had a range of 9900 km vs the 747's 14,200 km range.

The Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned in 1997. Unlike the Gothic, which suffered a dramatic and fatal fire in the Pacific in 1968, Britannia has been preserved as a museum. Indeed, she sits alongside the Ocean Terminal in Leith, just outside Edinburgh where she has been rated the UK's top attraction. Britannia presents a remarkable insight into royal life – the Queen wanted her to be comfortable not stuffy, sacking the ship's first designer. Britannia provided respite from the Queen's gruelling schedule but also served as the venue for many state dinners around the world. See https://www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk/.

In 2000 the Queen arrived on a Qantas chartered aircraft designated QF6060, visited the Sydney Olympic village around many other appearances and flew out of Perth on QF9. In 2002 to mark her Golden Jubilee the Queen and Duke arrived in Adelaide and flew out of Brisbane on a charter 777 aircraft. In 2006, they again arrived and departed on a charter 777 aircraft. The Queen's last visit to Australia was in 2011 and again she and the Duke arrived and departed on a charter 777.

That is the logical end to the story. From the early days of slow, inefficient propeller aircraft, the Queen's last trips to Australia were on an aircraft renowned for its superior range, good fuel efficiency and good passenger comfort. We await the developments in travel over the next monarch's reign.

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