Superfans queued at the crack of dawn, plenty of Aussie sausage sangas were consumed, and a barbecue fit for royals was held for King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Tuesday.
The couple were in Sydney, celebrating their final day of engagements in Australia.
Here were the biggest moments.
Fans arrive early for Opera House meet and greet
Royal family enthusiasts were up bright and early to get an afternoon glimpse of Charles and Camilla at Sydney Opera House’s forecourt.
Monica Cipolla-Howard and her two sons, Justin and Christopher Howard, were on the spot from about 5.30am onwards — almost 12 hours before the King and Queen were due to meet the public.
“For me I remember watching the royal wedding when Prince Charles got married and I was a child. I’ve always really liked him and had an appreciation for him and everything he does,” she said.
“I just said, ‘Everybody we’re up at four and we were on the five o’clock train’,” she recounted saying to her sons.
By the time the royal couple arrived a little later than scheduled, they were met with thousands of everyday Aussies in front of Sydney Opera House.
The King and Queen were greeted by members of the creative industry, including British actor Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous fame, who said hello to the royals like an old friend. Joanna Lumley is in Australia for a series of live shows.
The spectacle continued, with a surprise music and dance performance by a series of school students.
One woman was brought to tears by her interaction with Camilla.
A young girl was also ecstatic after shaking hands with the King, saying: “He took my flowers and he shook my hand!”
The flag waving became more vigorous and the claps and cheers got louder when the couple arrived and began mingling with the crowd.
The Australian Monarchist League had handed out mini Australian flags to people in the crowds, organisers saying “tens of thousands” of flags were ordered.
Natalie Hulford went one better and dressed up her dog, Captain Bigglesworth, in some very royal attire.
Security for the tour has been tight, people in the crowds spotting a sniper on top of one of the sails at the Sydney Opera House.
Another sniper was sitting atop a hotel close to Circular Quay to keep the royal couple safe.
Police officers then lined the steps in front of the landmark.
Among the throngs of people at Sydney Opera House to greet the couple was royal carriage maker Jim Frecklington.
Mr Frecklington, originally from a small town in Central New South Wales, told ABC News: “I’ve had a very long relationship with the British royal family.”
“Fifty-two years ago, I travelled to London, and I started working for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth within the Royal Mews, and that’s where the royal horses and coaches are kept.”
Mr Frecklington built the Diamond Jubilee State Coach, which Queen Elizabeth used to use for the opening of parliament when visiting heads of state were in London.
Charles rode in that same coach on the journey from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace on the day of his coronation.
“It was really lovely to see his majesty, the King and the Queen here today,” Mr Frecklington said, adding he was “most impressed” with the crowds that turned out to see the royals.
King visits Indigenous centre following senator’s protest
The King began a busy day of public commitments by visiting the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence.
A traditional Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony took place, with Charles meeting a range of community representatives and local elders in Sydney’s Redfern.
On arrival, Charles was told he was on Gadigal land.
“We’ve got stories to tell and I think you witnessed that story yesterday,” chairperson of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council Allan Murray said to the King.
The monarch then had an adorable encounter with a baby.
Sydney-based Wiradjuri Galari woman and archaeologist Chloe Wighton was at the centre with her five-month-old son Jack Rose.
The visit came following independent Senator Lidia Thorpe’s protest in the Great Hall in Canberra on Monday, at the end of the King’s speech.
The Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman yelled: “You are not our king” and “This is not your land”.
Queen Camilla gets busy in the kitchen
While the King was at the Indigenous centre, the Queen wasn’t too far away assisting the chefs at Refettorio OzHarvest in Surry Hills.
Together they prepared the lunch service of crispy potato hash and met with some regular visitors. The Queen is a patron of UKHarvest.
When Camilla left OzHarvest, the local streets were filled with royal fans.
She stopped to talk with a few people and her eye was caught by Caesar, a nine-year-old pet parrot owned by Pierre Gawronski, who is a frequent diner at the Refettorio restaurant.
Mr Gawronski — known as Surry Hills’ eccentric birdman — and the Queen took turns trying to make the parrot say hello.
Caesar rose to the challenge and gave a chirpy greeting.
Sheepdogs steal the show at the barbecue
The community barbecue at Parramatta Park, the event hosted by NSW Premier Chris Minns and his wife Anna Minns, was quite the spectacle.
There was henna tattooing on offer and some backyard cricket, along with multicultural versions of the classic Aussie sausage sandwich being served to guests.
“It’s a particular delight to taste this top tucker,” Charles said.
The King and Queen even briefly manned the tongs for the sausages on the grill.
But the stand-out had to be the sheep dog trial.
Grazier Murray Wilkinson, who travelled from regional NSW, came with his flock of sheep and a dozen Indian runner ducks.
He also brought along his prized border collie named Meg and kelpie named Colt for the trial.
The dogs responded to whistles and commands from Mr Wilkinson and they rounded up the sheep accordingly, with applause from the crowd.
In his speech to the attendees, Charles praised NSW and Australian farmers.
He noted the location of the event was an “excellent choice” because of its importance to First Nations people as a place for community engagement.
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