the queen australian tour 1954

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SNAPSHOT: The 1954 Royal Tour

Princess Elizabeth was en route to Australia, via Kenya, when she received news in February 1952 of the premature death of her father, 56-year-old King George VI. She hastily abandoned her trip but visited Australia two years later as the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II, the first and only reigning British monarch ever to do so. That 1954 visit was the first of 16 royal tours by the Queen to Australia but was, by every measure, the most successful – and resoundingly so. Royal fever gripped the postwar nation, which seemed to fall, en masse, under the spell of the young queen. During the two-month sojourn it’s estimated that more than 7 million Australians – 70 per cent of the population – attempted to see Elizabeth and her consort, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

In Sydney, 1 million residents reportedly thronged the harbour foreshore and lined the city streets, waiting for hours just to glimpse the royal couple following their arrival on 3 February 1954 at Farm Cove aboard the royal barge.

During the following 58 days, the pair visited 57 towns and cities across the country on an exhausting program of public engagements and community and sporting events. They saw natural wonders such as the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains and the Great Barrier Reef, and watched surf carnivals and gymnastics displays. They met Indigenous leaders, war veterans, farmers and factory workers and hordes of schoolchildren. Australia presented itself as a confident and vigorous young nation with seemingly boundless resources. It was forward-looking while still valuing its strong bonds with the motherland.

It wasn’t until the Queen’s next tour, in 1963, that Prime Minister Menzies famously quoted the poetic phrase “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”. But he was already feeling effusive in 1954, and avowed his most profound and passionate feelings of loyalty and devotion to the throne in an article in The Sydney Morning Herald .

Formal celebrations for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – 70 years on the throne – the first British monarch to reach such a milestone, will take place in the UK across the long weekend 2–5 June 2022. Among the events and celebrations here in Australia, the Queen’s Jubilee Program is providing up to $15.1 million in grants to eligible groups and organisations for community-based tree-planting programs.

For more information, see The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 .

All photographs by Max Dupain/Courtesy of the State Library of New South Wales

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The 1954 royal tour

A royal visitor.

On 3 February 1954, the steamship Gothic arrived in Sydney Harbour, carrying the first reigning monarch to visit Australia – Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip. In just under 2 months, the royal couple would travel around Australia by train, car, and plane. They would visit almost every capital city except Darwin, and 40 country towns. Among the revellers, children turned up en masse to view the royal couple, and some even participated in official events. 

A tremendous task

In Sydney, an estimated 120,000 children and their teachers gathered in Centennial Park, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and the Sydney Showgrounds. The Herald reported transporting the students took 80 trains, 209 trams and 214 busses. At the SCG, students were organised into concentric circles so that the royal couple’s Land Rover could pass within 24 feet (7.3 metres) of most of the children. The children were issued coloured streamers attached to short sticks called ‘wavers,’ which came to life at 11:40 am when the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh entered the cricket grounds. An enthusiastic roar accompanied the rush of excitement. 

Similar gatherings took place in other large cities. For example, a children’s pageant was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The pageant included children from 6 to 18 years of age, marching, performing callisthenics, and maypole dancing while wearing colourful costumes. As the grand finale, the children formed the word ‘WELCOME’, and the Queen and Duke boarded a Land Rover so that they could drive among the performers. At this point, some exuberant children broke free of their ranks, swamping the royal car and briefly stalling its progress. Finally, the amused Duke ordered them to clear the way.

'OUR QUEEN'

The formation of words by children in tableaux performances occurred across Australia. In Brisbane and outside of Parliament House, they formed the phrase ‘OUR QUEEN.’ At the Wayville Showgrounds in Adelaide, they formed the word ‘LOYALTY’ and at Manuka Oval in Canberra, ‘WELCOME.’  Throngs of people, keen to catch a glimpse of the nation’s sovereign, greeted the royal couple everywhere they travelled. Their journey and activities were meticulously recorded and compiled by film director Colin Dean and his team. The footage formed the first colour full-length feature film made in Australia. Included is a section devoted to the children’s contribution to the celebrations, capturing the young audience's enthusiasm. 

The Queen in Australia (feature film)

The aftermath

While the effort to put on these displays was enormous, time spent with the children was extremely short. Although the royal couple were only in Canberra for 4 full days, the Queen's schedule was unrelenting. It included opening Parliament, unveiling the Australian-American Memorial, opening Union House at the Australian National University, and laying a wreath and planting a tree at the Australian War Memorial. They also attended Manuka Oval for the children’s welcome, only to depart 30 minutes later. 

Records held by the National Archives include detailed communications, maps, and diagrams used in the organisation of royal events. The day was likely exhausting for the young participants, with many students arriving at the events hours before they were due to commence. A photo from our collection shows exhausted muddy revellers, slightly dishevelled yet still clutching and waving their commemorative flags.   

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The Flats and what the Queen did not see on her 1954 Australian tour

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In 1954, a young Queen Elizabeth embarked on her first tour of Australia, a tour that took her to all parts, including townships in regional Australia that would never again experience the hype of a visit by a ruling Monarch.

One of those towns was Shepparton in Victoria’s Goulburn Valley. At the time, the people of the Yorta Yorta nation had made their home on a stretch of a flood plain between Shepparton and Mooroopna, after walking off the mission known as Cumerragunja on the NSW side of the Murray River.

This place was known as the Flats.

The Queen’s procession would pass by the humpies the Aboriginal community had established for themselves, and the local authorities thought the sight of the natives by the side of the causeway was too unsightly for Her Majesty’s eyes.

Yorta Yorta man and producer Daniel James brings you a story from that time where two very different worlds briefly passed each other by.

Uncle Ruben and Uncle Boydie , former residents of The Flats who now take tour groups through the area

Aunty Marie and Aunty May , former residents of The Flats who spent some of their childhood years living in this community surrounded by their families

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• Erica Vowles, Supervising Producer

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Remembering the 1954 Royal Tour

by Catrina Vignando on 18 February, 2014

In February, 60 years ago, HRH, Queen Elizabeth II, came to Australia. It was 1954, a mere five months after her coronation and the first tour by a reigning monarch.

The Queen’s Royal visit was a two-month journey across Australia. An estimated 75% of Australia’s population were able to catch a glimpse of the young Queen as she travelled to 57 cities including regional centres such as Cairns, Lismore, Shepparton, Whyalla and Kalgoorlie.

Her extensive itinerary was aided by the use of very sturdy vehicles that included six Royal Daimlers. These vehicles were specifically commissioned for the Australian Tour. One of these cars, a 1948 Daimler landaulette, now resides at the National Museum of Australia.

As part of the 60th anniversary of the Royal tour, the National Museum has embarked on the Royal Daimler Project restoring this car to its former glory.

Celebrate this anniversary of the Royal visit by helping us to make the Royal Daimler fit for a Queen again.

We need your help to raise $60,000 towards the conservation of the vehicle. To make your donation on our website

Watch out for more Royal gems as over the next few months we will feature more Royal memorabilia from the National Historical Collection at the NMA.

We would love your thoughts and comments on Australia’s Royal romance. Are we just as taken by the Royals as we were in 1954?

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• Newspapers & Gazettes
• The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) View title info
• Sat 7 Feb 1953 Prev issue Next issue Browse issues
• Page 1 Prev page Next page Browse pages
• ROYAL TOUR ITINERARY ANNOUNCED FOR 1954 Prev article Next article Browse articles

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• Abstract Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will visit Australia from February 3 to April 1, 1954, it was announced in a broad outline of the royal tour itinerary released by the Prime Minister's Department to-day.
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16 visits over 57 years: reflecting on Queen Elizabeth II’s long relationship with Australia

Associate Professor of English, Flinders University

Disclosure statement

Giselle Bastin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Flinders University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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“Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of Australia and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth” has died. Given her advanced years, this has long been expected, yet it still seems incredible this woman who has been Australia’s queen for the duration of most Australians’ lives is no longer with us.

While the focus of the formalities and ceremony of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II will centre on London and the UK, there is no doubt it will be keenly observed by many Australians.

The queen liked Australia and Australians. She came here 16 times throughout her reign and was, famously, on her way to our shores in 1952 when she learned her father had passed on and she was now queen.

Her visits to Australia – from her first in 1954 through to her last in 2011 – offer a snapshot of the changing relationship Australians have had with their sovereign and with the monarchy.

An enthusiastic nation

The queen’s 1954 tour took place during a time described by historian Ben Pimlott as the age of “ British Shintoism ”. Deference to the Crown was paramount in Britain and the Commonwealth, and many Australians were madly enthusiastic about their queen.

After her arrival at Farm Cove in Sydney on February 3 1954, Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to set foot on Australian soil. The royal tour lasted nearly two months and consisted of a gruelling schedule taking in visits to every state and territory apart from the Northern Territory.

During the tour, the queen greeted over 70,000 ex-service men and women; drove in cavalcades that took in massive crowds; attended numerous civic receptions; and opened the Australian Parliament in Canberra. The tour saw Elizabeth travel 10,000 miles by air and 2,000 miles by road – including 207 trips by car and by appointed royal trains.

It is estimated as much as 75% of the population saw the queen and Prince Philip during this tour.

No Australian prime minister has ever had a reception on this scale or exposure to so many of the country’s citizens.

A “new” and prosperous country

During her first two tours in 1954 and 1963, the Australia laid-out for display for the queen was depicted as having gone from being a small colonial settlement to a thriving economy that had ridden to prosperity “ on the sheep’s back ”.

The queen was treated to endless displays of sheep shearing, surf carnivals, wood chopping, whip cracking, and mass displays of dancing and singing by school children. Federal and state dignitaries, mayors and civic leaders from across the political divide jostled to meet and be seen with her; the country’s florists were emptied of flowers for the hundreds of bouquets presented to her by dozens of shy, nervous school children nudged gently forward by awe-struck parents.

During the early tours, Aboriginal Australians were kept at a discreet distance. Apart from a demonstration of boomerang and spear throwing, the closest the queen came to experiencing anything of Indigenous Australian culture was a ballet performed by the Arts Council Ballet titled Corroboree, with no Aboriginal dancers but dancers with blackened faces.

During the 1970 visit, the queen witnessed the re-enactment of Captain James Cook’s arrival at Botany Bay, with Cook and his crew meeting “the resistance of the Aborigines with a volley of musket fire”.

By 1973, Indigenous Australians were given a more significant role in the royal tours. Aboriginal actor Ben Blakeney, one of Bennelong’s descendants, gave the official welcome during the opening of the Sydney Opera House, and the then unknown actor David Gulpilil was among those performing a ceremonial dance.

Invited guest, not ruler of the land

As early as the 1963 tour, the nation-wide royal fervour had dimmed a little. The 1963 visit witnessed smaller crowds and fewer mass public events. When Prime Minister Robert Menzies courted the queen with the now-famous line, “I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die”, the ensuing blushes – including the queen’s own – reflected many Australians’ growing sense of embarrassment at public displays and unquestioning expressions of deference.

Despite this, Menzies’ displays of public ardour saw him being granted The Order of the Thistle shortly after, a bestowal which must surely remain the envy of some subsequent prime ministers.

The 1977 Silver Jubilee and 1988 Australian bicentenary visits perhaps marked the end of a period of royal tours as overt celebrations of Australia’s ties to Britain. This new flavour of tours positioned the sovereign as an invited guest to an independent, modern and multi-cultural nation.

On her 10th tour in 1986, the queen returned to sign the Australia Act , which brought to an end the ability of the UK to create laws for Australia.

Her role as our sovereign subtly transformed from cutting ribbons and opening Parliament to signing the documents that slowly, by degrees, contributed to the cutting of Australia’s ties to the UK and the Crown.

A question of the republic

By the 12th tour in 1992, the cost of the queen’s visits to Australia were increasingly scrutinised by a public feeling largely indifferent about the royal family. The prime minister of the day, Paul Keating, was seen not so much as an entranced liege lord revelling in the opportunity to see his sovereign “passing by” as one who instead – unthinkingly – committed an act of lèse majesté by placing his bare hand on the royal back and waist as he guided her through the crowd.

The gloves, it seemed, were coming off.

The queen made it clear in her last visits to our shores that whether or not Australia should become a republic was a decision for its own citizens to make. Her official announcement after she learned of the result of the 1999 Republic Referendum confirmed this:

I have always made it clear that the future of the Monarchy in Australia is an issue for the Australian people and them alone to decide, by democratic and constitutional means. … My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.

In the last decades of her life, the queen retained the affection of many. Her popularity seemed to grow in line with Australians’ increased disenchantment with their home-grown political leaders: the former prime ministers Malcolm Turnbull and Julia Gillard are right to have sensed that any discussion about an Australian republic would have to wait until after Elizabeth II’s death.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned across seven decades and her tours to Australia served as a marker of Australia’s changing relationship with the Crown as well as with its own colonial past and national identity.

Almost certainly, Elizabeth II’s reign as the stalwart, loyal, dutiful, and most cherished and admired of “Glorianas” is one we are unlikely ever to see again.

Correction: the article previously stated the queen was on her way to Australia in 1953 when she learned of her father’s death. This has been corrected to 1952.

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Royal tour Daimler landaulette

A stately DE 36hp Daimler landaulette used by Queen Elizabeth II during her iconic 1954 royal tour is one of the most treasured cars in the Museum's collection.

Watch the full Daimler Live at the Museum video on YouTube

1954 royal tour of Australia

The newly crowned monarch, Elizabeth, and the Duke of Edinburgh, departed the United Kingdom for a royal tour of the Commonwealth from November 1953 to May 1954. The visit strengthened Australia's relationship with Britain.

The tour prompted Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies to joyously proclaim 'the most profound and passionate feelings of loyalty and devotion'. It was the culmination of an era when respect for the pageantry of inherited European institutions was instilled in Australians.

The Australian tour covered 27,000 miles (43,452 kilometres) by car, train, aircraft and boat. It visited all states and territories, except the Northern Territory. The Queen was introduced to many different people, products and places.

An estimated 75 per cent of Australians saw the Queen and the tour was judged an extraordinary success. This mass excitement was not unfounded; anticipation of a royal arrival had been building for five years.

Today it can be viewed as a cultural milestone that evokes strong memories for many Australians who grew up in a period of extensive social and cultural change.

Museum conservation

The Daimler arrived at the Museum in 2009 in a dilapidated state. A long-term conservation and restoration plan based on the vehicle's significance was developed by the Museum's curatorial and conservation teams.

The Daimler shortly after it arrived at the Museum. National Museum of Australia

Although much of its glamour is somewhat diminished, the car retained almost all of its original fittings and impressive bodywork and was the perfect vehicle for Museum conservators to showcase their skills in returning it to its former glory.

Museum supporters and partners helped to raise more than $60,000 towards the conservation. The Daimler project was completed in 2019.

Queen Elizabeth with Daimler landaulette outside Newcastle City Hall in The Royal Visit to New South Wales, official record... , ed. Oswald Ziegler, Sydney, 1954

George VI and Elizabeth II

This vehicle is one of two intact survivors of a fleet of six Daimler DE 36hp models originally commissioned by Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley in 1948 for the proposed 1949 royal tour of Australia by King George VI.

By sourcing these very British cars, it seems the Australian Government sought to preserve ties with British industry and culture.

A classic choice, the Daimler Motor Company in Coventry had enjoyed many years of royal patronage and undertook highly regarded bespoke coach-built commissions for ceremonial purposes.

This imposing four-ton landaulette vehicle was fabricated by coachbuilders Hooper and Company on a purpose-built Daimler chassis powered by a 'straight eight' (eight cylinders in line) engine.

Almost six metres long, it had luxurious interior fittings such as an electrically operated sun roof and windows, cream Bedford cord and blue leather upholstery, a walnut dash, roller-sprung silk window blinds, engraved glass light fittings and ashtrays, and thick fitted carpets. The folding landau section would allow the occupants to be easily seen, yet give some protection from the heat and dust of an Australian summer.

To the shock and disappointment of many, however, the tour was cancelled at the very last minute owing to the King's poor health. Extensive plans had already been made – the fleet was completed, crated and waiting to be dispatched to Sydney.

Under these circumstances, the Australian Government was required to fulfil its financial obligation to the Daimler Motor Company.

Jack Beasley, the Australian High Commissioner in London, was able to sell two Daimlers to the Maharajah of Mysore in India, but the high tax payable on luxury cars did not make these large and ostentatious vehicles attractive purchases in post-war Britain. The cars were modified to suit ceremonial requirements; at almost two metres in height, they were described as 'too great to enable them to go under many of England's low bridges'.

Still lacking buyers, the remaining four Daimlers were shipped to Australia in 1949, where they became part of the government car pool and were used sparingly by the Governor-General, Sir William McKell. After another postponement of the royal tour in 1952, the four cars were recalled for duty for the glamourous young Queen two years later.

Coachbuilder's plate showing the Daimler's royal connection. National Museum of Australia

Royal Visit Car Company

Fully refurbished, this Daimler landaulette was one in a fleet of 55 British and Australian-manufactured vehicles operating throughout New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and South Australia for the 1954 royal tour.

According to the Queen's itinerary, detachments of the main fleet were transported around the country by air and rail to supplement sub-fleet vehicles in Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia, bringing the total to 115 vehicles.

Administered with military precision by the Royal Visit Car Company, the management of the convoy was no mean feat. The company registered an astounding 500,000 miles covered by motor car over the duration of the tour, with barely a delay or incident.

In a pre-television age, this logistical efficiency was instrumental in allowing an estimated 75 per cent of Australia's population to see the Queen at least once during the tour's two-month duration.

The Daimler before final paint and bodywork in 2018. National Museum of Australia

The Daimler before final paint and bodywork in 2018

Warm welcome for the royal visitors

Families travelled many miles from their homes in the hope of catching a glimpse of the royal couple.

The abiding memory for those Australians who did not get the opportunity to press the Queen's gloved hand or attend a royal ball or garden party, was of her waving hand and smiling face as she glided by during the Royal Progress, a stately drive enacted through upwards of 80 towns and urban centres across Australia.

Many photographs of the day capture the smartly dressed crowds clustered at a respectful distance, flanked by hordes of expectant children and hovering policemen. Even the media entourage, who recorded the Queen's every move, crouched in neat unobtrusive rows as she cruised past at 6 mph.

This Daimler landaulette, generally used to transport the Queen from airports towards town centres and to evening engagements, acquired an iconic character of its own and became synonymous with the 1954 royal tour as captured by the many lenses of the media and public.

Vice-regal appointment

As the excitement of the tour began to fade, the Australian Government again faced the issue of disposing of the four Daimler vehicles. By now six years old and increasingly unfashionable, they were replaced in the Commonwealth government car pool by newer Humber vehicles.

The Daimler's engine before conservation. National Museum of Australia

A few months after the tour, this Daimler landaulette was sold to the Governor of South Australia, Sir Robert George, who enthused that the car was 'a splendid acquisition which we shall be proud to use in our duties to the state'.

It indeed graced various vice-regal occasions, including the opening of parliament in 1957 and the Governor's farewell tour of Adelaide in 1960.

By the early 1960s the car had again become surplus to requirements. Described as 'on its last wheels', it required extensive maintenance and the Governor's motor garage staff expressed doubts as to the future availability of parts due to the decline in the market for bespoke coach-built vehicles.

Sold on, it passed through two further South Australian owners in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2009 it was purchased by the Museum from a private collector.

Significance of the 1954 royal tour

This Daimler landaulette is an iconic symbol of the 1954 royal tour and reminds us of a period when royalty were far more accessible to the public. Not only visually impressive, it has strong relevance to broad areas of Australian history and is themes including the monarchy in Australia and innovation in the motor industry.

Customised short-wheelbase Land Rover utility 1958, manufactured by the Rover Company, Solihull, with coachwork by the Pressed Metal Co., Sydney. This vehicle was part of a fleet of Land Rovers maintained by the Australian Government for royal tours and other vice-regal occasions. National Museum of Australia

The monarch’s off-road vehicle of choice

Between the 1950s and 1970s, the Australian Government also maintained a fleet of Land Rovers for royal tours and vice-regal occasions. It is no secret that the Queen is fond of these off-road vehicles and has owned one or two herself during her 70-year reign. Perhaps her wartime training as a mechanic sparked an interest.

This 1958 Land Rover utility was used for her visits to Queensland in the 1960s and 1970s, where it handled bumpy roads and grassy showgrounds with ease.

Customised in Sydney to the Queen's specifications, it includes a protective screen and handrail to help avoid flying skirts and lost hats in windy weather. Reportedly dismissing the idea of a protective roof in favour of using an umbrella, the Queen was occasionally drenched by tropical downpours.

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Where was ‘anyone but you’ filmed all the stunning locations from the rom-com.

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Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell in "Anyone But You."

Anyone But You finally made its Netflix streaming debut, which is exciting news for rom-com fans everywhere. As you watch the movie, you might be wondering where Anyone But You was filmed and if you can visit the breathtaking beaches, cliffs, and other locations in real life.

Loosely adapted from Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” Anyone But You stars Glen Powell as Ben, a finance bro who has an incredible first date with Bea (Sydney Sweeney), a law student uncertain about her career. After spending the night, Bea panics and leaves without telling him. When she realizes she made a mistake and returns to his apartment, she overhears Ben saying that she is a “nothing” to him.

Years later, they unexpectedly reunite at a destination wedding in Australia for Bea’s sister, who is marrying Ben’s friend. When their exes show up, they pretend to be a couple—and the rest is history. The film was directed and co-written by Will Gluck, the filmmaker behind rom-coms like Easy A and Friends with Benefits . It was released in December and had an impressive run at the box office, surpassing $88 million domestically and $219 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo .

After its release, the movie went viral on TikTok as audience goers reacted to the film’s credit sequence, which features the cast dancing and singing to Natasha Bedingfield’s nostalgic 2004 hit “Unwritten,” a song highlighted throughout the film. There were also rumors of an off-screen romance between Powell and Sweeney that helped promote the film, as well as the actors’ flirty publicity tour and Sydney Sweeney’s SNL monologue .

Now, Anyone But You is back in the limelight after the film was released on Netflix on April 23, quickly becoming the No. 1 movie on the platform in the U.S. after just one day.

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Anyone But You was filmed in parts of Australia around New South Wales and Sydney. Director Will Gluck told The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted the film set in Sydney because he had “really fallen in love with the city” and liked it so much he moved his family there.

“Almost every time you shoot a movie in Sydney, you have to pretend it’s somewhere else and frame out the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. For Anyone But You , I thought, “Why do that?” We actually wrote this movie 100 percent for Sydney — very specific to the destination,” Gluck wrote.

The director continued, “We flew helicopters all over — seeing the city from that vantage point is stunning — and landed one at the Opera House, shut down the Harbour Bridge, filmed at the Queen Victoria Building, and shot for two weeks overlooking Bondi Beach,” he said. “We spent a week on a boat in Sydney Harbour shooting a scene where they’re stranded on a buoy, but you can’t have humans in the water without a shark cage, so we had to have one the whole time. You pinch yourself. It’s so unbelievable we were actually doing these things.”

Here are a few specific Anyone But You filming locations you can visit in person.

Sydney Opera House

The Sydney Opera House is a focal point in Anyone But You. The 20th-century architectural landmark serves as a gorgeous backdrop for big moments, including the end scene when Ben passionately kisses Bea, who is standing at the top of the steps. You can visit the performing arts center for special events and tours.

Marks Park, Bondi

Located in Sydney's northern suburbs, the wedding scene in Anyone But You was filmed at Marks Park overlooking Bondi Beach and the Pacific Ocean. The cliff-top park is open to the public and has fitness stations, a playground, and some shaded areas.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 01: A general view of North Palm Beach on Sydney's Northern Beaches, on ... [+] April 01, 2024, in Sydney, Australia (Photo by Steve Christo - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

Many of Anyone But You ’s breathtaking beach scenes were filmed around Palm Beach. Director Will Gluck told THR that one of the best parts of filming was on location in Palm Beach, a suburb in the Northern Beaches.

“Our caravans were parked right on the water, and Glen and Sydney and I decided to live there the whole time. We’d shoot all day and all the crew would go home, then we’d jump in the water and have a swim, go to our trailers and have dinner sitting outside,” he said. “It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, and you normally wouldn’t be allowed to sleep there. It was probably the most fun I’ve ever had filming.”

Jones Bay Wharf

Jones Bay Wharf in Sydney Harbour's Pyrmont.

The historic Jones Bay Wharf is another familiar filming location in Anyone But You. The hidden gem in the Pyrmont district is home to fine dining restaurants, charming cafes, and beautiful views the of the city and Harbour Bridge.

Queen Victoria Building

Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Australia.

While on their way to collect flowers for the wedding, Ben and his friend Pete are seen walking alongside the Queen Victoria Building. The Romanesque 19th-century building is actually a five-level shopping center with fashion boutiques, jewelry stores, cafes, and restaurants.

Anyone But You is now streaming on Netflix.

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