This was published 9 years ago
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive in Australia
By Daisy Dumas
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall have begun their five-day tour of Australia with a visit to South Australia's Barossa region and a meeting with domestic violence campaigner Rosie Batty, the Australian of the Year.
January will mark 50 years since Prince Charles' first visit to Australia and while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may not count himself a royalist, his royal highness appeared as at home as ever as he and the Duchess of Cornwall sampled tawny port, red wines, locals cheeses, seafood and honey from the state.
It is the second time the royals have travelled to Australia as a couple and the trip is Prince Charles' 15th visit to the country. They flew into Adelaide after a tour of New Zealand.
In the Barossa town of Tanunda the royals, accompanied by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, South Australian Governor Hieu Van Le and South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill, were greeted by crowds of fans and local schoolchildren.
Britain's Prince Charles jokes with his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall during a visit to Seppeltsfield Winery in the Barossa Valley.Credit: Daniel Kalisz
Perhaps none of them were more committed than four-year-old pageant queen Eva Joy who, with her mother Renae Williams, had waited since 7:30am to present Camilla with a posy of native flowers over six hours later.
"When I was little I met Diana [Princess of Wales] and that memory stuck with me forever. I'm hoping to do the same for my daughter," the disability worker from Adelaide told Fairfax Media.
At Seppeltsfield Winery, the state's oldest vineyard, the accent was firmly on local wines – Camilla is patron of the UK Vineyards Association and the couple visited Penfolds, makers of Grange on their 2012 tour.
Prince Charles was presented with his own whiskey barrel, handmade by master cooper Andrew Young at Seppeltsfield's cooperage. The second in line to the throne Prince William and his son Prince George were not forgotten – along with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge, their birth year barrels were shown to the guests before they met artisan makers of regional produce, including Maggie Beer.
Prince Charles meets with well-wishers at Tanunda.Credit: Ben MacMahon
The Duchess then attended a domestic violence roundtable in Adelaide's Government House, while Prince Charles turned the first sod of the Prince's Terrace, a sustainable development in Bowden.
The royal entourage will fly to Sydney on Tuesday evening before spending Remembrance Day in Canberra, where Prince Charles will meet Mr Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.
Their royal highnesses arrive at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia. Prince Charles and General-General Sir Peter Cosgrove speak as do their wives Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Lady Cosgrove. Credit: Tricia Watkinson
They will visit Sydney on Thursday, where their schedule includes a display by NSW Police in Redfern, a visit to food charity Oz Harvest and a dinner with the Governor-General.
After visiting Albany in WA, Prince Charles will on Saturday celebrate his 67th birthday in Cottesloe, near the spot where, in 1979, he was blindsided by bikini-wearing model Jane Priest, who famously planted an unexpected kiss on the royal cheek.