Bendigo, 'The Golden City' that had contributed so much to the prosperity of the British Empire, was usually on the agenda for royal tours of the Antipodes.
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In 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York - the parents of the current British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II - travelled to Australia to officially open Parliament House in Canberra, and also visited Bendigo.
The couple travelled without their child, who had her first birthday during their trip away, and although the Duchess was, in her own words, 'very miserable at leaving the baby', their journey was a public relations success.
Queen Elizabeth II is the only British royal to have visited Australia as reigning monarch.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh have visited Australia no less than 16 times, and they first did so in 1954, nine months after Her Majesty's coronation.
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrived on the SS Gothic into Sydney Harbour ahead of an exhaustive two-month trip, covering each state and a large number of cities across the country.
On Friday, March 5 1954, the young queen and her husband swept through Benalla, Shepparton, Echuca, Rochester, Maryborough and Castlemaine before arriving in Bendigo by Royal Train.
They spent a short but eventful 80 minutes in the city.
The Queen and Prince Phillip were taken by Land Rover observation car through the streets of Bendigo to a tumultuous greeting by an estimated 100,000 spectators, inspiring The Bendigo Advertiser to describe it as 'the proudest, supremest moment this city has known'.
When the royal couple reached the Upper Reserve (renamed Queen Elizabeth Oval after her visit), there were 9000 children assembled to greet them with flag waving and loud cheers.
Australia is a constitutional monarchy with The Queen as sovereign.
As a constitutional monarch, The Queen, by convention, is not involved in the day-to-day business of the Australian government, but she continues to play important ceremonial and symbolic roles.
Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history and 2019 marks her 67th year on the throne.
Rule Britannia, the Golden City: Royal visits to Bendigo is now on at Bendigo Art Gallery's satellite space, Post Office Gallery, until September 1.
