It was an anxious time for locals in the know waiting for Buckingham Palace to confirm the details of King Charles’ and Queen Camilla’s trip to Australia last week.
For those who don’t know, right up until the palace’s announcement, a visit to Yarrawonga Mulwala was a real possibility for the Monarchs to include on their jam-packed schedule.
Since December last year, the Yarrawonga Mulwala Bridge Centenary Committee has been in constant communication with the palace about the prospect of King Charles unveiling a plaque to mark the bridge’s 100th anniversary.
Committee Chairman John Lawless said all the signs were positive the King was keen to visit Yarrawonga Mulwala right up until last week.
“We sent the palace an invitation with a document outlining the unique history of the bridge last year. Within 24 hours of receiving this, the palace made contact with us,” Mr Lawless said.
“It was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; we really gave it a shot.
“Having firsthand dialogue with the palace was an exciting experience.
“Unfortunately, we were not included as part of the King’s shortened visit, but it was understandable given his health concerns.”
Mr Lawless said an added attraction for the King would have been a short visit and even a cruise on the P.S. Cumberoona, which King Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, launched in Albury during her visit in 1988 during Australia’s bicentenary celebrations.
“Correspondence from the palace in early August confirmed we were still being considered as part of the monarch’s itinerary,” Mr Lawless said.
“We were also engaging with the Australian Prime Minister’s Protocol and International Visits Department.
“As the date of his visit got closer, we could see it becoming very big, very quickly.”
The monarch’s shortened schedule will now include visits to famous landmarks, the Sydney Opera House and Parliament House in Canberra, and a tasting of NSW’s finest produce at a community barbecue.
They will spend six days Down Under in the King’s first long-haul trip following his February cancer diagnosis and will arrive on Friday, October 18.
Anthony Albanese said Australians were looking forward to welcoming the King and Queen back to Sydney and Canberra.
“The Royal visit is an opportunity to showcase the best of Australia – our rich culture, our sense of community, and contributions to science, research and global progress,” the Prime Minister said.
In Sydney, the King and Queen will tour Royal Australian Navy ships and celebrate Australia’s diversity at the barbecue with multicultural groups.
His Majesty will also learn about groundbreaking cancer research, led by Australians of the Year Prof Georgina Long and Prof Richard Scolyer, and discuss the work Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders are doing to strengthen culture and support their communities.
The Queen will meet children participating in a Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition workshop and visit a library.
On the Monday in Canberra, Mr Albanese will welcome the pair to Parliament House, where they will attend a reception with Australia’s top health, arts, culture and sporting stars, politicians and community leaders.
They will also pay their respects at the Australian War Memorial and visit the Australian National Botanic Gardens, where the King – who has a green thumb – will discuss the global impacts of climate change with staff and volunteers.
The King will visit scientists at the CSIRO who are working on the impact of bushfires in Australia, while the Queen will attend talks on family and domestic violence and meet representatives from online donation platform GIVIT.
It will be the King’s 16th visit to Australia but his first since becoming Australia’s head of state after the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
He and Queen Camilla last toured Australia in 2018 to open the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, while the last major working royal to visit our shores was Princess Anne in 2022.
After their visit to Australia, they will head to Samoa to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting with 56 other leaders from across Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and Africa.
Mr Lawless said plans for the bridge centenary celebration will now be in full swing again for December 15.
“I do want to thank the various people in the community who kept the possible visit by the King low key, to not jeopardise the process.
“Now that we know he is not coming, we can plan for our December date for the celebrations,” Mr Lawless said.
Mr Lawless confirmed invitations had been sent to the Prime Minister, among other dignitaries.
“We are anticipating a four-hour celebration starting at 11am. After the unveiling of the plaques, we will move to the Yarrawonga Foreshore for a civic reception and a chance for the public to meet with the dignitaries that we have invited to the occasion.”
Mr Lawless said the committee hoped that both the Yarrawonga and Mulwala communities would get behind the celebrations.
“Our bridge has served our towns well over the last 100 years, and that should be celebrated,” Mr Lawless said.