The pictures that reveal how Australia celebrated the last royal coronation

“Last night was reminiscent of many other notable nights in Melbourne’s history – of V.E. night in 1945, the Victorian Centenary celebrations of 1934, the visit of the late King George VI as Duke of York in 1927, and the Duke of Windsor’s tour as Prince of Wales in 1920,” reporters wrote of the celebrations.

Sir William Slim, the 13th Governor-General of Australia, was quoted in The Age on June 2, 1953, describing the coronation as the “world’s greatest pageant”. “Coronation day for the Queen’s millions of subjects will be a holiday – a day of joy. We shall all rejoice,” he said.

A lucky few soared over the city – which was illuminated with lights and decorations – in D.C.3 aircraft, which were arranged as special coronation night flights from Essendon. About 5000 people attended a Pageant of Royalty in the Exhibition Buildings, which traced the monarchs since Elizabeth I and featured a cast, choir and band totalling nearly 1000 people.

And over at Government House, 10,000 members of the National Square Dance Club performed to a crowd of about 100,000 people, many of which were singing God Save the Queen.

“Everywhere in the inner-city streets, crowds were jammed so tightly that they could hardly move,” The Age reporters wrote.

Sydney saw similar revelry. Hundreds gathered for family picnic parties in the Botanic Gardens and Hyde Park after praying for the Queen at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, where the State Coronation Service was held.

Hours after the new Queen emerged from Westminister Abbey, former Prime Minister Robert Menzies praised the new monarch in front of an audience at the Sydney Showgrounds, as thousands of people formed the Union Jack.

Up to half a million people then packed the foreshores of Sydney Harbour to watch the evening’s fireworks and firefloat displays, which together went for about two hours. In preparation, many arrived from midday onwards, waiting for about 5 hours for the show to begin.

“Throughout the fireworks display, people standing shoulder-to-shoulder and three and four deep lined the safety fence,” wrote Sydney Morning Herald reporters at the time.

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The festivities occasionally grew so intense that they verged on dangerous. In Sydney, people formed voluntary queues around shop windows, packing so tightly that “once caught up in them hundreds of people became immobilised”.

Based on conversations with police, The Age reporters at the time estimated that about 500 Melburnian children were separated from (and then safely returned to) their families throughout the evening. Crowds and traffic were reportedly “even greater than on V.E. day” and ambulances were called to attend multiple people who had fainted.

“By 9pm, the scene near the G.P.O. [central post office] steps resembled a beleaguered wartime city in the throes of evacuation,” reporters wrote.

Lost children and health episodes aside, only time will tell whether King Charles’ coronation celebrations will be able to compete with the exuberance of those in 1953. Will it be fireworks and coronation quiche or just another a quiet night in?

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