OFFICIAL jostling for an audience with King Charles III has not technically begun but Ballarat could be a welcome, familiar place Prince for the Commonwealth's monarch.
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His Majesty has twice been to Sovereign Hill.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed early preparations are underway for a potential - but as yet unconfirmed - royal visit in late 2024, despite the King's cancer diagnosis.
The federal government has confirmed it has begun talks with the states and territories about when and where King Charles and Queen Camilla might visit.
Should Ballarat be put in the mix, and Sovereign Hill on the itinerary, this would also not be the first time a sitting British monarch has visited the open-air museum.
His parents, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, did the Sovereign Hill tourist thing as part of their royal tour in 2000.
King Charles' last visit to Sovereign Hill and Ballarat was almost 41 years ago - April 15, 1983 - with his then-wife Princess Diana.
This later caused a "Jam in the Mall" as The Courier front page headline read, with people packing the Bridge Mall to capture a glimpse of the young royal couple.
Hi Majesty's first visit to Sovereign Hill was before the museum has opened and was during his days as a schoolboy at Geelong Grammar's Timbertop campus, which is between Mansfield and Mount Buller.
In his return visit, he recognised Sovereign Hill printer Peter Gilbert who, ahead of the Coronation in May 2023 and 40 years since the visit, recounted the nerves.
The then-prince put Mr Gilbert's nerves at ease when recognising him from that earlier trip.
Prince Charles stopped for a yarn, wanting to know more about Mr Gilbert's wife's uncle who had found the Sarah Sands gold nugget in a bottom corner near where Sovereign Hill stands. The uncle had taken the nugget back to England for an audience with Queen Victoria.
Sovereign Hill's then-chief executive officer Peter Hiscock also told The Courier last year the royal visit had been a tightly orchestrated and long-organised process.
Once the six-week royal tour was announced, Sovereign Hill indicated its interest in hosting duties via an office of protocol and "negotiations proceeded from there".
Mr Hiscock said the process was likely "made a bit easier" because His Majesty had visited the museum before.
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the King had a long connection with Australia, extending from his time attending Geelong Grammar.
"There is an affection for King Charles, I know King Charles has a deep affection for Australia," he told ABC TV earlier this year.
"A royal visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla later in the year would be a really, really tremendous and popular event and I do think that Australians would very much welcome seeing King Charles in our country."
The King's brother Prince Edward was the last royal to visit Ballarat. He made a stop to play royal tennis in Mount Clear...
And he spent time at Federation University in April 2018.
The visit by the King and Queen would be the first trip to Australia by a reigning monarch since 2011 - when Queen Elizabeth II travelled to Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
While a date for a royal visit to Australia has yet to be set, this is expected to also coincide with CHOGM, which is being held in October in Samoa.
King Charles has made 15 visits to Australia, his last in 2018 to open the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and to visit parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
The King has previously travelled to every state and territory in Australia.
- with AAP
