Britain's Queen Elizabeth receives flowers from school children during her visit to Clontarf Aboriginal College in Perth October 27, 2011. Queen Elizabeth is in Australia for an eleven-day official visit. REUTERS/Paul Kane/Pool

Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip arrived in Perth Thursday, a week after their arrival in Australia, as reported by the Associated Press.

The purpose of the visit is to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. However, she would first embark on a 10-day tour which included Melbourne, Brisbane and the official royal residence in Canberra before finally arriving in Perth.

Waving Australian flags, children cheered in crowds and joined Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Governor General Quentin Bryce, the Australian representative of the monarch, in greeting the royal pair with a 21-gun salute.

"I believe she's very well respected by Australians and I think she's going to be tremendously warmly received from the moment that she sets foot on Australian soil," Gillard told reporters.

Such tremendous welcome comes despite the ruling Labor Party's desire for the monarch to be replaced by a president as Australia's head of state. Gillard has stated that Australia should become a republic after the Queen's reign.

In contrary, she guaranteed that this debate will not compromise the monarch's visit, the last of which was in 2006, when she commenced the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

It seems that the Australians have more than enough adoration for her, though. In 1999, a referendum was conducted to determine whether residents desire an Australian Republic. It ultimately failed, extending the country's stay under the British monarchy.

Others are hoping that this visit would show the British Monarchy that Australia can stand by itself as a nation, regardless of public opinion. The continent-nation has been part of the Commonwealth since its independence from the United Kingdom on 1901.

This event is the Queen's 16th and perhaps final visit to Australia. "It may be the last visit for the Duke of Edinburgh, but she's got plenty of energy," Narelle Gibson told the AP, who was talking about the 90-year-old prince. At 85, the Queen's age is not far though, leading to speculations that this indeed will be the last.

Her former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter contradicted this. "With the Queen, you should never say 'last'; never say 'never.'"