The Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrive at Longreach at the start of their Australian tour. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen Source: The Australian
Merino Bakery owner Ben Roughan and customer Amanda Deane with the Prince Charles mannequin and his Prince Charles Royal Lamb Pie in the main street as Longreach. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen Source: The Australian
PRINCE Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, have set foot on Australian soil for the first time together after landing in the outback centre of Longreach in Queensland's central west.
For the Prince of Wales, 63, it marked the start of his 14th visit to Australia; his wife and 65-year-old future queen, looking fresh in an olive sundress, held a parasol and smiled as she was warmly welcomed on a 38C day in the outback.
The royal couple wasted no time in moving to the Royal Flying Doctor Service headquarters, where they were given a demonstration of retrieval techniques and met a patient who had been picked up with a broken leg.
Then it was on to the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame, which was opened by the Queen nearly a quarter of a century ago. An outdoor barbecue was to follow, where guests were served lamb kofta, Queensland prawns and chicken and coriander rissoles.
Among the crowd staking out a spot in the hope of catching the eye of the visiting royals was 22-year-old hairdresser Carly Daniels who said: "This is just amazing for the town."
The Prince and the Duchess were to spend just two hours in Longreach, setting a cracking pace for a whirlwind tour that will take in the Melbourne Cup tomorrow, then Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra before they fly on to New Zealand on Saturday.
While her husband and heir to the throne is a frequent visitor Down Under, this is the Duchess of Cornwall's first official trip to Australia, and all eyes were on her as she was greeted by locals.
The royal visit marks a blue-letter day in the central-west Queensland town of Longreach, population 4000, so baker Ben Roughan thought he would do his bit to mark the occasion.
He baked a Prince Charles royal lamb pie that had sold out by 10.30am, hours before the royal couple was due to touch down this afternoon. Not since 1988 when the Queen visited to open its Stockman's Hall of Fame has Longreach been in the spotlight like this.
Mr Roughan, 37, will close his shop in Eagle St to join an expected crowd of several thousand hoping to see or even catch a word with the Prince of Wales or the Duchess.
"I just wanted to get into the spirit of the thing," Mr Roughan said of his culinary creation.
PICTURE GALLERY: Charles and Camilla tour the region
With the temperature set to hit 39 degrees - above the old century mark - there has been a run on ladies' hats at Lorraine Dicinoski's store, Shoe B Doo. Originally, her customers were told headwear wouldn't be required today. "But then the organisers realised it was going to be hot and the word went out to wear a hat. I've hardly got a thing left," she said.
Amanda Deane, 28, drove 90km from the family property with her mother, Nettie, to join in the festivities. "We couldn't miss it," she said. "It's sort of the talk of the town."
Not everyone is happy about the arrangements: some locals are miffed that the guest list at the community barbecue was limited to the 300 who will dine on marinated Longreach lamb kofta, BBQ Queensland king prawns and rissole of chicken and coriander.
A contingent of 72 police has flown in to provide additional security, and the royal couple will be welcomed to Australia late this afternoon, fresh from their stopover in Papua New Guinea, by Governor-General Quentin Bryce. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and state Governor Penelope Wensley will also be on hand.
Then it's on to Melbourne and the Cup tomorrow, which will be presented by the Duchess of Cornwall after the big race is run. They will visit Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney and Canberra before flying on to New Zealand on Saturday.
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