The Queen received many weird and wonderful gifts over her 70-year reign, including a whale's tooth and a grasshopper-shaped wine cooler, but when she toured Red Cliffs, it was a lifetime supply of sultanas that locals bestowed upon the monarch.
The rural township, near Mildura in Victoria, was one of several stops on the Queen's 1954 Australian tour — a trip she took just two years after ascending to the throne.
Records show 33,000 people flocked to the town's Quandong Park with hopes of catching a glimpse of the young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip.
Red Cliffs Historical Society president Helen Petschel said it was a big moment for the region, and the pair was received with "outstretched arms and wonder".
"People came by train from as far as Pinnaroo and Donald, and a special chartered train came from Horsham," she said.
Judy Dean was a teenager at the time and said she was "terribly proud and excited" to see the Queen.
"There was [royal] fever because we didn't have television and when we went to the theatre we would see 'the Queen is coming, the Queen is coming'," she said.
"The atmosphere was electric … it was a very special day for Red Cliffs."
Sheila Van Holst had been selected to present flowers to the royals and said although she was "rather nervous", it was a "great privilege".
"What struck me was this lovely lady with a creamy complexion, and she simply said 'Thank you dear, they are lovely'," Ms Van Holst said.
Five tonnes of dried fruit
Ms Petschel said Queen Elizabeth II had been feeling unwell, after flying into Victoria from Renmark in South Australia, leaving it to the Duke to formally address the crowds.
His speech was delivered from a specially-built podium that was surrounded by boxes of sultanas.
The dried fruit weighed a total of 5,000kg and was a gift to the Queen from the Australian Dried Fruits Association on behalf of the region.
Too heavy to carry, the boxes had to be shipped back to Britain, which was still dealing with the aftermath of World War II, and were distributed to orphanages and children's charities.
Ms Petschel said the speech and public appearance had been fleeting but there "was a lovely, country atmosphere".
"It was a wonderful experience that was different to what the Queen would have seen before in Australia," she said.
A dedicated royal loo
The Queen's visit included a private outing to a vineyard on the outskirts of Red Cliffs that was known for its production of sultanas.
"She saw the fruit, she saw it picked, put on the racks and dried on the ground, and they were able to pick some grapes," Ms Petschel said.
She said every aspect of the visit was planned out in great detail and that even some minor home renovations were undertaken.
"The house [at the farm] didn't have an indoor toilet so they built a special one on the verandah just in case she needed to go."
The toilet remains at the property and at one stage even had a photo from the royal visit hanging on a wall.
Ms Petschel said despite being ill it was not believed the Queen used the newly-built lavatory.
"I don't know what they did about toilets [at the park] for 33,000 people though," she said.
"In those days they wouldn't have been able to hire portable loos."
