Prince Charles and Camilla tour Australian Outback

Royal couple begins two-week tour of Australia with a stop in rural Queensland.

Mon, Nov 05 2012 at 10:13 AM

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Photo: INFPhoto.com

As part of a world tour to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla touched down today in Australia, their second stop on a jaunt that included an earlier stop in Papua New Guinea and a future rendezvous in New Zealand.

Perhaps wanting a dramatic change from the cool London weather, Charles and Camilla (on her first trip to Australia) began their journey with a stop in Queensland where temperatures of 104 degrees Fahrenheit greeted them.

"I am so pleased our visit could begin here in rural Queensland," Charles told the crowd. "The outback remains a source of fascination and respect."

The 63-year-old prince went on to recall fond memories of his six months spent in Victoria as a schoolboy.

"I can recall in every detail the long treks through the bush in searing heat, and for company I remember funnel web spiders, bull ants, leeches that could only be removed with a cigarette end, snakes of every description and kangaroos that overtook us on cross-country runs," he said.

According to an official itinerary, Charles and Camilla will visit a school and winery in Adelaide, a sheep stud in Sorrel, Tasmania, and have meetings in Sydney with wool designers, emergency workers and rugby players.

The pair will return to the U.K. on Nov. 16.

Last month, Prince William and Kate Middleton went on a nine-day tour through Singapore, Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu. One of their stops included the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo, home to six national parks and the world's oldest rain forest.

Related story on MNN: Prince Charles and the prince frog [Photo]

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