Earlier in 2022 Great Britain celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee.
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Transport for NSW remembered royal journeys on the regional rail network - including from Bulli.
Today, with news of the Queen's death, it just might bring back some fond memories ...
Queen Elizabeth II travelled to regional NSW several times, including in 1954 and 1970 on transport provided by the NSW Government Railways.
Heritage specialist with Transport for NSW, Amy Keighran, said the Queen and Prince Philip made three regional journeys on the Royal Train in February 1954.
"The Royal Train took the Queen from Sydney to Newcastle on 9 February 1954, then Her Majesty returned from a visit to Wollongong by train from Bulli to Sydney on 11 February and from Bathurst to Sydney on 12 February," Ms Keighran said.
"They travelled in the Governor General's carriage, which was ornately decorated with timber, leather and gold and had been renovated to include air-conditioning."
Read more: Queen leads Jubilee celebrations
For the Bathurst to Sydney trip, a special fabric-covered timetable was produced, featuring the royal coat of arms and a railway locomotive wheel representing NSWGR.
It listed the stations along the route over the Blue Mountains, their height above sea level, distance from Sydney and the time the train travelled through them.
The Illawarra Mercury reported on preparations for the Queen's visit to Wollongong on February 11, 1954.
"With many firms putting the finishing touches to their decorations, Crown St yesterday presented a glittering facade of colour and bright lights.
"It is estimated that firms have spent thousands of pounds in decorations. Shop windows have been dressed in royal tonings, Crowns surmount buildings, Union Jacks and Australian flags flutter at an average of one to every 20 yards of building frontage.
"Royal motifs decorate street corners; and everywhere cars have been decorated with coloured streamers and flags. Stores report that they have never before experienced such a rush in the sale of decorations and flags.
"Almost every child seen in the streets is now carrying a flag."
In 2012, Woonona's Janet Williams shared her vivid recollections with the Mercury of the day the Queen came to visit in 1954.
She was five and wearing Waniora Public School's all-white sports uniform, pinned with a red, white and blue rosette.
"We were all marched down to Slacky Flat at Bulli and placed around the oval to wait until Queen Elizabeth II came in a big black car," Mrs Williams recalled.
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