The 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay was run from 13 March 2017 until 4 April 2018, prior to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The baton bearer selection process for the Australian segment was announced on 18 October 2017.
As well as touring Australia the schedule included the other 70 Commonwealth Nations.
Organisation The Queen's Baton Relay was launched on Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, on the historic forecourt at Buckingham Palace in London, signalling the official countdown to the start of the Games. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II heralded the start of the relay by placing her 'message to the Commonwealth and its athletes' into the distinctive loop-design Queen's Baton which then set off on its journey around the globe. Her Majesty was accompanied by Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Peter Beattie, Chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) and Yugambeh elders Patricia O'Connor and Ted Williams in the ceremony. The Queen's baton was brought into the stage by Australian Paralympic champion Kurt Fearnley . He started from Marlborough House up The Mall and then into the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace. He was also accompanied by the Band of the Scots Guards, who played by permission of Major General BJ Bathurst, The Major General commanding the Household Division. After the message was placed safely inside the Baton, The Queen handed over the baton to Australian cyclist and Commonwealth and Olympic Games gold medalist Anna Meares. She, along with English track cyclist Victoria Pendleton, then carried the baton around the Queen Victoria Memorial and handed over to the Australian singer Cody Simpson. He then boarded on a Kombi van with the baton and left the place as an indication to the Baton's final destination, Gold Coast.
The baton travelled for 388 days, spending time in every nation and territory of the Commonwealth. The Gold Coast 2018 Queen's Baton Relay was the longest in Commonwealth Games history. Covering 230,000 km over 388 days, the baton made its way through the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania. For the first time in the history of the baton relay, the Queen's Baton was presented at the Commonwealth Youth Games during its sixth edition in 2017 which was held in Nassau, Bahamas. The baton landed on Australian soil on 24 December 2017 and then spent 100 days travelling through Australia.
The Queen's baton
The Queen's baton for the 2018 Commonwealth Games had a distinctive loop design and was made of macadamia wood and recycled plastic sourced from Gold Coast waterways. Its design was inspired by the Queensland's "vibrant spirit and indigenous heritage" and with sustainability. The design of the baton was unveiled on 20 November 2016 at a special ceremony in the Jupiter Gold Coast Hotel. The baton was designed by Alex Wall and Warren Shroeder from the Brisbane-based firm Designworks. At the 2018 Good Design Awards conducted by the Good Design Australia, the baton won the Best Product Sport and Lifestyle award.
International route
Africa The Queen's Baton travelled in the following countries in Africa: Sl. No.Nation/TerritoryArrival date1Sierra Leone15 March 20172Ghana18 March 20173Rwanda22 March 20174Uganda25 March 20175Cameroon29 March 20176Nigeria1 April 20177Kenya5 April 20178United Republic of Tanzania8 April 20179Seychelles11 April 201710Mauritius15 April 201711Malawi20 April 201712Zambia24 April 201713Namibia27 April 201714Botswana1 May 201715Mozambique4 May 201716Eswatini8 May 201717Lesotho11 May 201718South Africa15 May 201719Saint Helena20 May 2017
Caribbean The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in the Caribbean: Sl. No.Nation/TerritoryArrival date20Trinidad and Tobago28 May 201721Grenada31 May 201722St Vincent and the Grenadines3 June 201723Saint Lucia7 June 201724Barbados10 June 201725Dominica14 June 201726Antigua and Barbuda17 June 201727Montserrat21 June 201728St Kitts and Nevis24 June 201729Anguilla28 June 201730British Virgin Islands1 July 201731Jamaica5 July 201732Turks and Caicos Islands11 July 201733Cayman Islands14 July 2017
Americas The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Americas: Sl. No.Nation/TerritoryArrival date34The Bahamas18 July 201735Bermuda24 July 201736Canada27 July 201737Belize2 August 201738Guyana7 August 201739Falkland Islands12 August 2017
Europe The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Europe: Sl. No.Nation/TerritoryArrival date40England16 August 201741Scotland22 August 201742Northern Ireland28 August 201743Isle of Man1 September 201744Wales4 September 201745Guernsey9 September 201746Jersey13 September 201747Gibraltar17 September 201748Malta21 September 201749Cyprus25 September 2017
Asia The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Asia: Sl. No.Nation/TerritoryArrival date50Pakistan29 September 201751India3 October 201752Bangladesh9 October 201753Sri Lanka12 October 201754Malaysia16 October 201755Brunei Darussalam21 October 201756Singapore25 October 2017
Oceania The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Oceania: Sl. No.Nation/TerritoryArrival date57Nauru1 November 201758Kiribati3 November 201759Niue7 November 201760Cook Islands11 November 201761Tonga16 November 201762Fiji20 November 201763Samoa23 November 201764Tuvalu28 November 201765Papua New Guinea1 December 201766Solomon Islands5 December 201767Vanuatu9 December 201768Norfolk Island15 December 201769New Zealand17 December 201770Australia24 December 2017
National route
Australian Capital Territory The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in the Australian Capital Territory: DatePlaceTransfer25 January 2018Canberra26 January 2018Canberra27 January 2018Canberra to Wagga Wagga
New South Wales
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in the New South Wales: DatePlaceTransfer28 January 2018Wagga WaggaNarranderaGriffith29 January 2018West WyalongForbesParkes30 January 2018OrangeWellingtonDubbo31 January 2018CoonabarabranGunnedahTamworth1 February 2018ArmidaleBellingenCoffs Harbour2 February 2018MacksvilleKempseyForster Tuncurry3 February 2018NewcastleGosfordSydney4 February 2018PenrithSydney Olympic ParkLa Perouse5 February 2018WollongongKiamaNowra6 February 2018Batemans BayBatemans Bay to Launceston
Tasmania The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Tasmania: DatePlaceTransfer7 February 2018LauncestonDevonportBurnie8 February 2018Travel Day9 February 2018ClarenceGlenorchyHobartHobart to Melbourne
Victoria The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Victoria: DatePlaceTransfer10 February 2018St KildaSouth MelbourneMelbourneWilliamstownAltonaFootscray11 February 2018MorwellWarragulFrankston12 February 2018SorrentoQueensclifTorquayGeelong13 February 2018WerribeeBallaratArarat14 February 2018BendigoSheppartonWangaratta15 February 2018WodongaYarrawongaEchuca16 February 2018MurrabitKerangSwan Hill17 February 2018NyahRobinvaleMilduraMildura to Renmark Paringa
South Australia The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in South Australia: DatePlaceTransfer18 February 2018Renmark ParingaAngastonGlenelgAdelaide19 February 2018Coffin BayPort Lincoln20 February 2018PenneshawKingscote21 February 2018AldingaHahndorfLobethalStirlingAdelaide to Albany
Western Australia The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Western Australia: DatePlaceTransfer22 February 2018AlbanyDenmarkManjimup23 February 2018BridgetownBunburyRockingham24 February 2018Rottnest IslandFremantleSouth PerthBurswood ParkPerth25 February 2018Kings ParkCity BeachScarboroughHillarys26 February 2018Quinns RocksWannerooGuildford27 February 2018KarrathaKarratha to Alice Springs
Northern Territory The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in the Northern Territory: DatePlace28 February 2018Alice Springs1 March 2018Alice SpringsLitchfield2 March 2018PalmerstonDarwin
Queensland
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Queensland: DatePlaceTransfer3 March 2018Horn IslandDarwin to Horn IslandThursday IslandHammond Island4 March 2018InjinooUmagicoBamagaNew MapoonSeisia5 March 2018Cooktown6 March 2018CloncurryMount Isa7 March 2018BirdsvilleRoma8 March 2018MitchellMorvenCharleville9 March 2018AugathellaTamboBlackall10 March 2018BarcaldineIlfracombeLongreach11 March 2018WintonHughenden12 March 2018PrairiePentlandHomesteadCharters Towers13 March 2018Travel day14 March 2018RavenshoeAthertonTolgaMareeba15 March 2018Travel day16 March 2018Cairns17 March 2018YarrabahCairnsInnisfailMission BeachTully18 March 2018CardwellInghamTownsville19 March 2018TownsvilleAyrBowenAirlie Beach20 March 2018Mackay21 March 2018NeboCoppabellaMoranbahClermont22 March 2018CapellaAnakieEmerald23 March 2018BlackwaterBluffDingoDuaringaRockhamptonYeppoon24 March 2018GladstoneMiriam Vale1770Agnes WaterBundaberg25 March 2018Fraser IslandHervey BayMaryborough26 March 2018GympieNoosa Heads27 March 2018CaloundraKilcoyKingaroy28 March 2018DalbyOakeyToowoomba29 March 2018WarwickGattonIpswich30 March 2018RedcliffeBrisbane31 March 2018ClevelandBrisbane1 April 2018Daisy HillBeenleighNorth TamborineGold Coast2 April 2018Gold Coast3 April 2018Gold Coast4 April 2018Gold Coast
End of Relay The end of the relay took place in the 2018 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
The Queen's baton was brought into the Carrara Stadium in a Kombi van by Australian former swimmer Susie O'Neill. She then went to the centre of the stadium and images and videos of popular Gold Coast attractions were projected on the ground of the stadium such as feeding lorikeets, skydiving, dreaming in the ocean, walking in the treetops, and riding the rollercoaster. After that, she handed over the baton to Australian former cyclist Brad McGee, who took it to Australian wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley. Fearnley after parading it around the stadium, handed over to Australian netballer Liz Ellis, who then took it to Australian hockey player Brent Livermore. Finally, Brent handed the baton over to Australian hurdler Sally Pearson. She received a large applause from the audience as she lives in Gold Coast. She went to the dais along with the baton and hand it over to the CGF President Louise Martin. Martin removed the Queen's message from the baton and handed to Prince Charles. Charles read out the message and declared the competition officially open.
Sponsors Tourism Australia and QSuper sponsored the international and Australian segment of Queen's Baton Relay respectively, while Longines sponsored both the segments.
References