Thousands of people gathered at Sydney Harbour to see two enormous cruise liners - Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Victoria - cross paths in what was billed as an "historic royal rendezvous".Queen Elizabeth 2 was on her final voyage 30 years to the day it first docked at Sydney. For Queen Victoria, this was her maiden visit to Sydney.The QE2 is being decommissioned in November. It will visit Melbourne and Perth before becoming a floating hotel in Dubai.
"We've got a lot to celebrate, as well as being sad about this being our last voyage," QE2 captain Ian McNaught said. The new luxury liner has quite a record to match - in nearly 40 years, the QE2 steamed six million miles, and carried 2.5 million passengers. Sydney has long been the QE2's favourite port of call - and one of the most picturesque.
