Public buildings in Canberra are to be lit in Royal Purple to celebrate the coronation of King Charles at the weekend.
Something of a light display is planned for important buildings in the capital. They will be decked in the shade known as Royal Purple since 1633.
The Australian War Memorial is to be decked in the colour from dusk until 10pm on both Saturday and Sunday nights. "Defence will join the illuminations by lighting the Russell Offices Royal purple after dark," the defence department said.
There will also be a 21 gun salute from the forecourt of Parliament House at 3pm on Sunday. If the weather permits, the Royal Australian Air Force will stage a fly past over Canberra.
Apart from the formalities, there are also to be less formal celebrations across the nation's capital.
The Australian Monarchist League is planning a celebratory dinner on Tuesday.
The elite Commonwealth Club is to hold a celebratory dinner on Friday, the eve of the coronation. It is keeping all details secret, however, including the menu. It is not known if members will be served coronation chicken.
There is similar doubt over far less formal events.
"A couple of girlfriends and I are getting together and we're planning a meal which has a coronation theme, and there's lot of debate about that," Merryn Gates said.
She will be watching the coronation as no more than a citizen of Australia (and, therefore, as a subject of the new King of Australia).
Coronation chicken was definitely in her mix. Quiche, Ms Gates said, was definitely out as too French. "I think I'm probably going to make a trifle because it's so English," she said.
Coronation chicken was devised for Queen Elizabeth's Coronation lunch in 1953. Boned chicken, coated in a curry cream sauce, with a salad of rice, green peas and pimentos was served to 150 people.
The dish was devised by Le Cordon Bleu, the London-based school of French haute cuisine. In the way of the time, it was given a French name: Poulet Reine Elizabeth.
Even those who intend to serve it to celebrate this weekend's coronation may not be monarchists. "I think we should be a republic," Merryn Gates said.
She was the daughter of a staunch monarchist who had her writing letters of congratulation every time a royal had a baby. She has kept the replies from assorted ladies-in-waiting. None of that past has dimmed her republican views.
Monarchist views will be pronounced at the celebratory dinner of the Australian Monarchist League at Kingston on Tuesday night.
At the dinner (with or without coronation chicken), a talk on the Crown Jewels and other royal symbols will be given by the League's Scott Coleman.
"I hope it will bring the coronation alive in the minds of people as we prepare to celebrate it," he said. "Australians will be gathering around the country to celebrate because we enjoy all the benefits of being a monarchy."
Those benefits, to his mind, were a parliamentary democracy with an elected government "but a Sovereign who is above politics".
He pointed out that this will be the first time that Australians have watched a coronation live. The last one was broadcast live in Britain (to 10.4 million viewers at home and 1.5 million in pubs and cinemas) but newsreel took ten days to get to this side of the world.
The BBC coverage included cameras inside Westminster Abbey to show the coronation service. The Queen gave her permission for this innovation against official advice.
It should be said that universal joy was not apparent on the streets of Canberra.
"I don't feel any strong connection with the monarchy," Alina Gilbert said.
"I think the comments that have been made recently about the coronation costing millions but down the road there are people who can't feed themselves is obscene," Marie Bennett said. "And I object to Camilla being Queen Camilla."
