This state coach was a gift to the Queen from the Australian people and was designed and built by the coach builder W. J. Frecklington (who subsequently built the Diamond Jubilee State Coach for Queen Elizabeth II as a private initiative). Apart from the Waterford crystal surrounding the lamps and the blue silk brocaded upholstery (which was provided by the royal household), the coach was entirely constructed using best-quality Australian materials.[3] The Australian State Coach is usually kept at the Royal Mews, where it can be viewed by the public.[4]
The Australian State Coach was often used to convey Queen Elizabeth II to and from the State Opening of Parliament. As one of the most modern of the royal coaches it is fitted with electric windows, heating and hydraulic stabilisers; it is therefore regularly used for state and ceremonial occasions.
On 5 June 2012, the Australian State Coach was, in case of rain, to be an alternative for the procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. However, it was decided that the weather was fit enough for the open-top 1902 State Landau to be used to carry the Queen, the Prince of Wales (later King Charles III) and the Duchess of Cornwall (later Queen Camilla).
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