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Duke and Duchess of York on the train in Toowoomba, 1927
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TitleDuke and Duchess of York on the train in Toowoomba, 1927Date Created1927
Location
City & StateToowoomba, QueenslandGeo Coordinatesnot specified
Description
DescriptionPhotograph taken by local Ipswich man during the royal visit to Queensland in 1927.Additional Information In 1927, the Duke and Duchess of York, (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother) arrived in Australia to officiate the opening of the new Parliament House in Canberra. The official event was to take place in May, so in the lead up, the Duke and Duchess took the opportunity of a Royal Tour of Australia. Their arrival to Australia was on the HMS Renown, and as they sailed into Sydney Harbour they attracted Australia’s first gathering of more than one million people.
After spending 12 days in New South Wales, on 5 April the Duke and Duchess arrived in Queensland on the train, to the border station of Wallangarra. More than 2000 people gathered to welcome the Royal couple, and see the platform at Wallangarra decorated with trees and a grove of ferns, through which the Royal couple would pass to change trains.
From here a special Royal train took the couple on the next stage of their journey with a resounding ‘welcome to Queensland’ message being delivered wherever they went, especially as they passed through Ballandean with a stockman, his sheep and sheepdogs barking an uproarious welcome to greet the Royal train as it drove by.
After an overnight stay in Toowoomba, the Royal train then headed for Brisbane. The train was due into Brisbane at 3:00pm on 6 April so when the train stopped at Gatton on the way through, it was the insistent whistling of the locomotive that gave the hurry up to the official party to get back on the train, and to the timetable. A guard of honour was assembled at Central Station with the Royals then attending a ceremony at Albert Square before retiring to Government House.
On April 9, a visit was made to the Beaudesert showgrounds for a picnic lunch and show ring events before heading further east on the Beaudesert Shire Tramway (railway), which was opened in 1903 and operated by the Beaudesert Shire Council. This Tramway was taken over by the Queensland Railways for the duration of the visit, so the Royal train could travel out on the agricultural line to where the Royal couple would spend their leisure time at Tamrookum homestead, a private country residence.
On the return, after their ‘weekend in the country’ the Royal couple made a change in plans, and instead on entraining at Beaudesert they joined the train at Laravale.The news that the itinerary had been altered , and that their Royal Highnesses would be at Laravale, quickly spread and all the residents of the ‘peaceful’ township gathered at the station ‘to pay homage’. According to the papers of the day, the little station had never looked so pretty with the station water tank completely enveloped in an Australian flag, and ferns and palms completing an attractive decorative scheme.
Over their seven days in Queensland, the Royal couple attending many functions, but their priority most of their time was meeting returned soldiers, wives and mothers of men lost at war, new settlers and school children. They also visited many locations such as Parliament House, the university grounds, the Wool store, Exhibition Grounds, kindergartens and hospitals. At the end of their time in Queensland, after spending the night on the Royal Train, they departed from South Brisbane station at 4.30am on 13 April to commence their journey south.
Just before alighting from the Royal train at Tweed Heads, the Duke gave his ‘appreciation of the facilities provided for travelling on the Queensland railway’ during the tour. The Duchess of York also expressed her appreciation, and both of them declared that they found the trains ‘were most comfortable for travelling’.
Additional information from Greg Hallam, Historian with Queensland Rail.
After spending 12 days in New South Wales, on 5 April the Duke and Duchess arrived in Queensland on the train, to the border station of Wallangarra. More than 2000 people gathered to welcome the Royal couple, and see the platform at Wallangarra decorated with trees and a grove of ferns, through which the Royal couple would pass to change trains.
From here a special Royal train took the couple on the next stage of their journey with a resounding ‘welcome to Queensland’ message being delivered wherever they went, especially as they passed through Ballandean with a stockman, his sheep and sheepdogs barking an uproarious welcome to greet the Royal train as it drove by.
After an overnight stay in Toowoomba, the Royal train then headed for Brisbane. The train was due into Brisbane at 3:00pm on 6 April so when the train stopped at Gatton on the way through, it was the insistent whistling of the locomotive that gave the hurry up to the official party to get back on the train, and to the timetable. A guard of honour was assembled at Central Station with the Royals then attending a ceremony at Albert Square before retiring to Government House.
On April 9, a visit was made to the Beaudesert showgrounds for a picnic lunch and show ring events before heading further east on the Beaudesert Shire Tramway (railway), which was opened in 1903 and operated by the Beaudesert Shire Council. This Tramway was taken over by the Queensland Railways for the duration of the visit, so the Royal train could travel out on the agricultural line to where the Royal couple would spend their leisure time at Tamrookum homestead, a private country residence.
On the return, after their ‘weekend in the country’ the Royal couple made a change in plans, and instead on entraining at Beaudesert they joined the train at Laravale.The news that the itinerary had been altered , and that their Royal Highnesses would be at Laravale, quickly spread and all the residents of the ‘peaceful’ township gathered at the station ‘to pay homage’. According to the papers of the day, the little station had never looked so pretty with the station water tank completely enveloped in an Australian flag, and ferns and palms completing an attractive decorative scheme.
Over their seven days in Queensland, the Royal couple attending many functions, but their priority most of their time was meeting returned soldiers, wives and mothers of men lost at war, new settlers and school children. They also visited many locations such as Parliament House, the university grounds, the Wool store, Exhibition Grounds, kindergartens and hospitals. At the end of their time in Queensland, after spending the night on the Royal Train, they departed from South Brisbane station at 4.30am on 13 April to commence their journey south.
Just before alighting from the Royal train at Tweed Heads, the Duke gave his ‘appreciation of the facilities provided for travelling on the Queensland railway’ during the tour. The Duchess of York also expressed her appreciation, and both of them declared that they found the trains ‘were most comfortable for travelling’.
Additional information from Greg Hallam, Historian with Queensland Rail.
Connections
People & FamiliesKing George VI (1895-1952)Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (1900-1952)Curated CollectionsRoyal & Celebrity Visits
Subjects
SubjectsRoyal visits
Asset Details
Reference IDqips-2011-11-04-0040Asset TypeImage - JpegImages, Maps and Artefacts (Trove mapping field)imageColour or Black & White ImageSepiaOrientationLandscapeGenreEventCandidCopyright StatusPublic DomainCopyright NoticeCreated prior to 1st January 1955 and as such copyright has expired. Moral rights subsist and the item should be correctly attributed and its integrity preserved.
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This work has entered the Public Domain and is free of known copyright restrictions
This work was created prior to the 1st January 1955 or it is an orphan work (photographer unknown) created more than 70 years ago. It has been identified as being free of known restrictions under the Copyright Act 1968.
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Duke and Duchess of York on the train in Toowoomba, 1927. Picture Ipswich, accessed 02/09/2026, https://www.pictureipswich.com.au/nodes/view/11554