Queen Elizabeth has arrived in Brisbane for what could be the monarch's last visit to her namesake state.The Queen, wearing a pale green coat and matching hat, and Prince Philip touched down at Brisbane airport just after 11am (AEST) on a flight from Canberra.
Hundreds of people gathered outside a security fence to watch the Queen's arrival, many waving Australian flags.
The royal couple was greeted by dignitaries including Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley, who will accompany the royal couple on a cruise up the Brisbane River.
Ms Bligh, wearing a scarlet suit and cream hat, has said she'd do her best to paint a picture of the damage the surging river did to the city in January.
Governor Wensley greeted the Queen with a traditional curtsey, but Ms Bligh followed Prime Minister Julia Gillard's lead and bowed to the monarch.
The royal couple then climbed into a vehicle, bound for their river cruise.
Ms Bligh earlier admitted to being nervous about meeting the royal couple and said she'd look to the Queen for conservational cues during the river cruise, due to leave from Bretts Wharf ferry terminal at 11.30am (AEST).
'She'll be able to see a city that's well and truly recovered,' Ms Bligh told ABC radio earlier.
'I'll be pointing out the worst hit areas for her to see just how much things have improved since then.'
Royal watchers began staking out viewing positions early on Monday at sites along the river, including at the ferry terminal.
Among the scores of wellwishers at the site is die-hard royal watcher Shirley Rogers, who's brought along an elaborately wrapped tea towel as a present for the Queen.
Decked out in her finest pearls and a red hat, Ms Rogers said the Queen, who is 85, continued to show remarkable energy.
'I've always loved her. She's down to earth, so natural, a colourful person,' she told AAP.
Also there is Janice Warriner, who turned out to see the Queen on previous visits in 1954, 1970 and 1988.
'I like her as a person and I like the idea of a monarchy. I think it's not broken, so why fix it.'
The royal visit will focus heavily on Queensland's deadly summer of natural disasters.
On Monday afternoon, after arriving at South Bank, the Queen and Prince Philip will meet with flood and cyclone victims who lost family members and homes.
Ms Bligh said the Queen had expressed a strong desire to meet with people who'd suffered the most, and would see that beyond the 'shiny veneer' of recovery, many people were still hurting.
The royal couple will explore the river aboard the cruiser Pure Adrenalin, alongside the premier, her husband Greg Withers, Governor Wensley and her husband Stuart McCosker.
It should be a comfortable ride, the 27 metre luxury wave piercing catamaran is fully air conditioned with spacious viewing decks.
After her engagements at South Bank, the Queen's last stop will be Government House for a private lunch hosted by Governor Wensley, before he jets off.
The Queen's Arrives in Brisbane
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