There was a sense of deja vu as the Queen arrived at Sydney harbour today dressed in a lime green hat and matching suit for her official Commonwealth Day engagements.

Hadn't the Queen worn an almost identical outfit when she last walked round the famous opera house, six years ago?

At least the weather was better today, as the 79-year-old monarch opened a new wing of the opera house. Back on March 20 2000 the Queen had needed an umbrella to protect herself against a torrential downpour.

Today she was greeted by blazing heat, and by crowds of hundreds of onlookers waving Australian flags.

Celebrating Commonwealth Day for the first time outside the United Kingdom, the Queen described Sydney harbour as "rich in memories and symbolism" - a sentiment with which many of her listeners could agree.

She was accompanied by her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, as she opened the first new exterior extension to the Sydney Opera House, the iconic building she opened in 1973.

"This is a very happy occasion for Prince Philip and me, rich in associations, memories and symbolism," she said.

The Queen said that on her first visit to the Opera House site, 52 years ago, the city was smaller, the skyline more modest and the magnificent building no more than a dream.

"Ahead were decades of spectacular national growth; an immigration programme that was to change the face of Australian society and enrich the entire nation; a burgeoning of trade and cultural activity that would cement Australia’s reputation as a generous and tolerant society, as a proud member of the international community and as a respected neighbour in her region," she said. "I believe that all this is symbolised by the opera house itself."

Hundreds of people gathered on the forecourt of the opera house in the blazing noonday sun to catch a glimpse of their monarch. "I’m originally from England and I was here when the Queen opened the opera house in 1973 and wanted to see her again," said Niki Alldritt.

The Australian Republican Movement had earlier vowed not to disrupt the monarch’s visit, which will culminate on Wednesday when she opens the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

"I myself will put my hand up and say I think she’s a pretty extraordinary woman," said Ted O’Brien, the national chairman of the ARM. "But it’s a different story to say therefore that person should be head of Australia."

O’Brien said while there was strong republican sentiment in Australia, it was not anti-Queen or anti-British.

The Queen later attended a Commonwealth Day church service in Sydney during which she called for greater support for people living with HIV-Aids.

She left Sydney for Canberra after attending a Commonwealth Day reception with the Prime Minister, John Howard, and about 200 guests.

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