On October 29, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh completed their tour of Australia, but before they left the queen attended a “Great Aussie Barbecue” along the banks of the Swan River in Perth.

In her farewell speech in front of  tens of thousands of well-wishers the queen stated that she and the Duke of Edinburgh had “…enjoyed our visit immensely…”

We have been overwhelmed by your kindness and support… I can think of no more fitting way to end my visit… than in this idyllic Swan River setting which I have enjoyed on so many occasions. Once again we will return to the United Kingdom with fond memories.

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On October 27, 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Clontarf Aboriginal College where she watched basketballers and Australian Rules footballers in action and visited a cookery class where kangaroo stew was on the menu. She did not sample the exotic fare but remarked, “Smells good.” On being presented with a small pot of stew, she asked, “Recently made?”

Three young Aboriginals presented the queen with a Aussie Rules ball, while others handed her a bouquet of flowers, one of hundreds she has received since arriving in Australia. Her Majesty has accepted the floral gifts wherever she has been, passing each bunch down a progression of staff members.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Edinburgh  visited the University of Western Australia to view some world-leading mining exploration technology from Anglo-Australian giant Rio Tinto. Whilst there he met the company’s chief executive Tom Albanese, who described the visit as “an honor”. 

Later in the afternoon, the royal couple attended a reception at the Government House hosted by West Australian Premier Colin Barnett ahead of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II officially opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on Friday.

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Source: AFP

Photo courtesy of: Daylife/L.Baker

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.

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