THE 1954 Royal Tour marked the first visit by a reigning monarch to Australia, and it was an occasion that drew vast numbers of residents from across the district. Queen Elizabeth II, then just 27 years old, captivated the crowds as people lined the roadsides. In his book, Tatura and the Shire of Rodney, W.H. Bossence said, “it is doubtful if any event can be compared with it.”
Families arrived with folding chairs, thermos flasks, and picnic hampers in tow, settling in for the event. Some even travelled from Tatura to Rochester, hoping to get a second glimpse.
Arthur Knee, a life member of the Tatura Museum, who was the Rodney Shire engineer at the time, vividly remembers the lead-up to the royal visit. Reflecting on the event in the Tatura Area Bulletin (Sept 2022), Mr Knee recalls the flurry of activity, particularly the involvement of several ‘faceless men’ sent to ensure that everything ran smoothly.
“They had organised for all the district residents and school children to come to Tatura to see the Queen. We were to expect a crowd of over 10,000,” Arthur said. “I had been thinking that I could just accommodate all Tatura’s population under the shade of the huge Moreton Bay Fig tree growing in front of the railway station, but this was something different.”
Preparations were in full swing. Ross Street, the only fully sealed road entering Tatura from the east, was widened. Star pickets and ropes were purchased to form barricades, security vantage points were mapped out, and then came an unexpected accident—a young woman collecting the mail crashed her car into the station building, where the Queen was to depart by train to Echuca.
A new station building was constructed in its place, but the entryway wasn’t suitable for the Queen’s arrival. With some ingenuity, worn-out timber sleepers from the railway line were used to create a ramp, allowing the Queen access to the platform. The ramp was covered in carpet, and bunting was added for effect.
“On the big day, everything was in order, archways in place, star pickets and rope down both sides of Hogan Street, the crowd readily waiting,” Arthur said. “Despite all the hiccups, everyone seemed pleased with the day.”
A lasting tribute to the royal visit remains in Tatura’s Memorial Park—a boulder from the Dookie Hills, inscribed with the words: ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh passed here on Friday 5 March 1954’.
