On October 24, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Brisbane, Australia.  The royal couple cruised the Brisbane River where thousands of people lined along the banks and bridges to catch a glimpse of the 85-year-old monarch.

After the cruise the royal couple strolled through the South Bank rainforest before “…the Queen opened the area’s newest feature, Rain Bank, a stormwater harvesting centre.”  In her speech at the re-dedication ceremony for the Rain Bank Queen Elizabeth II noted:

It was with great sadness that I followed the terrible consequences this past year of your normally peaceful river rising up and overwhelming this popular public space.  Nine months later we are here to pay tribute to the resilience and courage of Queenslanders who bravely picked up their lives and rebuilt them after great adversity.’ source

After the re-dedication ceremony the queen and the duke attended a private reception for the survivors of the January 2011 Queensland floods.

To view photos please click here.  To watch a video please click here.

Source: SMH.com.au

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/T.Blackwood/AFP