When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured Australia in 1954, she was the first reigning monarch to set foot on Australian soil. During their 58 day tour, they spent 5 in Tasmania. Arriving on Saturday 20th February, the first three days were spent in Hobart, where they unveiled the Sesquicentenary Memorial, visited the General Hospital and attended an afternoon party at Government House.
On day four, they flew from Hobart to Wynyard and from there visited Burnie, Penguin, Ulverstone, Devonport, Latrobe, Deloraine, Westbury, Longford and Cressy. And finally, day five saw them visit Launceston before departing Tasmania.
The Royal Progress at each location was scheduled to the minute. Organisers were required to synchronise their watches with the ABC time signals each day, and on day four—Tuesday 23rd February, at 4.35pm in Deloraine—the Royal Progress commenced at the intersection of Church Street and the Bass Highway, terminating opposite what was then the Council Chambers. At 4.55pm in Westbury, the Royal Progress commenced opposite the Roman Catholic Presbytery and terminated at Franklin Street. At 5.25pm in Longford, the Royal Progress commenced opposite the Prince of Wales Hotel and terminated at the Fire Station. At 5.40pm in Cressy, the Royal Progress commenced at Church Street and terminated at Woodside Road.
No doubt there was much planning and anticipation in the lead up to the royal visit in each small community. Even communities that were not part of the Royal Progress, but were en route, made an effort. Memories from Carrick recall the community working together to create a huge gold crown, adorned with glitter, jewels, and streamers. And the effort was worth it—contrary to the schedule, the Queen called a halt to her vehicle so that she could view the impressive crown more closely.
The final destination for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their fourth day in Tasmania was an overnight stay at Connorville, a well-known farming property at Cressy. It was the only private residence that the royal couple stayed at during their tour.
In 2022, Roderic O’Conner provided details to the ABC of the day that his father and grandmother hosted the Queen and her husband on the family property. He noted that, although there was plenty of prior warning that the Queen would be staying, the ‘preparations were massive’. New roads were built, and their home was extended to be able to house the royal couple and all of their staff. An extra bathroom was built for the royal couple, along with an extra outhouse for the staff.
During their visit to the property, Queen Elizabeth planted a golden elm, which was still there in 2022 and hopefully still there today. According to Mr O’Conner, Prince Philip also planted a tree, but the family was “not entirely sure which one that was”. In a final summary of the Royal visit to Connorville, Mr O’Conner noted that, “while there was still great formality”, he was also “quite surprised at how free flowing the conversation went”.
The Westbury & Districts Historical Society has two photos taken at the start of the Royal Progress in Westbury. One of these photos shows the welcome signage and residents dressed in their finest waiting to catch a glimpse of the Royal couple. We would love to know, however, if anyone has other photos taken during the 325 metres of the Royal Progress from the Roman Catholic Presbytery to Franklin Street. Or, perhaps, if someone has photos taken at other stages of the Royal Progress; maybe even of the gold crown in Carrick which caught the eye of the Queen.
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