You really don’t seem to have your finger on the pulse over there. Her Majesty’s birthday from what I am reading is huge in the Antipodean colonies.
The Queen’s Birthday is an Australian public holiday but the date varies across states and territories. Australia celebrates this holiday because it is a constitutional monarchy, with the English monarch as head of state.
Many Australians have a day off work on the Queen’s Birthday. For many, it is a chance to do something with their family or to visit a sporting event. Some people take advantage of the three-day weekend to make trips to visit friends or relatives.
Some well-known sporting events are held on the second Monday of June. These include an Australian Football League game played at the Melbourne cricket club between the Collingwood Magpies and the Melbourne Demons. It is also traditionally seen as the opening weekend of the snow season in Australia, although it is often not possible to really ski for another few weeks.
Traditionally, many public fireworks displays were organized on the Queen’s Birthday. However, these have been overshadowed by the New Year’s Eve displays in recent years. People in many communities can only buy and set off fireworks on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Queen’s Birthday weekend in the Australian Capital Territory. This is illegal at all other times of the year.
The Queen’s Birthday is observed on the second Monday of June in most of Australia. Schools, post offices, and other organizations are closed in most parts of Australia, except Western Australia, on this date. Stores that are open may have restricted opening hours. There may be some congestion on roads as many people use the long weekend to make trips. Public transport services may be reduced or not run at all.
The Queen’s Birthday is a holiday in Western Australia at a different date to that observed by other parts of the country. The governor in Western Australia proclaims the holiday’s date for this state. There are no fast rules about when it will fall but it is often on the last Monday of September or the first Monday of October. Western Australian schools, post offices, as well as many organizations, are closed when Western Australia celebrates the Queen’s Birthday. Stores that are open may have restricted opening hours in the state. There may be some congestion on roads as many people use the long weekend to make trips. Public transport services may be reduced or not run at all.
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/australia/queens-birthday
Australians have greeted the Queen’s birthday with a set of commemorative stamps and assurances that “life begins at 90” but the monarch has been forced - perhaps inevitably - to share much of the limelight with her two-year-old great grandson.
The birthday celebrations have received prominent media coverage in Australia, though much of it has dwelt on Prince George’s “cheeky” grin in the official portrait.
A poll published in The Australian Women’s Weekly found that only 25 per cent of Australians want Prince Charles to be the next monarch, but 49 per cent want Prince William to be the next king - and a surprising 32 per cent want Prince George to replace his grandmother.
“It appears Charles is the Kelly Rowland to Prince George’s Beyonce,” noted the Sydney Morning Herald.
In the state of South Australia, a group of 90-plus-year-olds welcomed the Queen to the “Nonagenerian Club”.
“I’m neutral when it comes to the royal family or an Australian Republic but I think the Queen is quite amazing and still doing a wonderful job,” Walter Silzer, 96, told The Adelaide Advertiser.
“It’s a real treat to have her join the Over-90 club — we are a pretty lively group.”
Phyl Skinner, 93, said: “I love the Queen, love the Royal family and I think the young ones coming through will be wonderful.”
Australia Post greeted the birthday with a stamp showing the Queen wearing a wattle diamond brooch which she received as a gift from the nation during her inaugural tour of 1954 – the first ever visit by a reigning British monarch.
A photograph on the stamp shows the Queen at an annual garden party for the Not Forgotten Association, which honours the contribution of the armed forces.
“It is said that on the day of the NFA party, the Queen greeted every guest, so the stamp also symbolises the Queen’s renowned work ethic,” Australia Post noted.
“Most importantly, the Queen is pictured looking happy and relaxed.”
New Zealand has also issued a set of birthday stamps showing the Queen at various stages of her life.
She received tributes from John Key, the prime minister, and Sir Jerry Mateparae, the Governor-General, or Queen’s representative.
“Throughout a lifetime of enormous change, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has maintained a remarkable sense of grace, stability and continuity,” said Sir Jerry. In the Sunshine Coast in the state of Queensland, a group of Australians have prepared a high tea to celebrate the birthday.
June Upton, said to be the coast’s most loyal royal follower, sent a birthday card, telling the the Sunshine Coast Daily: “I don’t think she’ll abdicate. She’s too strong and it’s her life.”
The Queen has been on the throne for more than half of Australia’s existence. Despite three of the past four Australian prime ministers being republicans – including the current leader Malcolm Turnbull – they have all suggested that any push for a republic should await the end of the Queen’s reign.
…