Australia's largest polling booth, 16,900 kilometres away, will be heritage listed. Australia House in London has been a tangible link for expatriate Aussies for the past century and has now been included on the Australian government's Commonwealth heritage list.
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The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Water, Mark Butler, said loud and enthusiastic shouts of ''cooee'' frightened locals when the first foundation stone was laid on July 24, 1913.
''I am sure that Londoners were again startled in the 1960s and 1970s when the streets around Australia House became the place for rowdy antipodeans to buy and sell campervans before they embarked on their tour of Europe,'' Mr Butler said.
''More Australians cast their votes at the diplomatic mission than any single polling booth in Australia - over 16,000 people voted at Australia House during the last federal election alone.
''I am delighted to place Australia's first and longest-serving overseas diplomatic mission, Australia House, London, on the Commonwealth heritage list in the week of the 100th anniversary of the laying of its foundation stone.''
Mr Butler said placing Australia House on the list recognises its importance as one of the first buildings to represent the newly federated nation of Australia to the world.
''It's impressive architecture, marble floors, alabaster light fittings, wood panelling, columns, main spiral staircase, decorative metalwork, sculptures, murals and paintings distinguish Australia House as one of our most splendid public buildings,'' he said.
''The imposing beauty of Australia House's exhibition hall, with its chandeliers and marble columns, has featured in the Harry Potter films as the location for Gringotts Wizarding Bank.''
He said for most of the 1 million British citizens who migrated to Australia under the ''ten-pound Pom'' assisted passage scheme, Australia House was their first experience of the country.
Until 1940, Australia House was the nation's only overseas diplomatic mission and its High Commissioners were Australia's only diplomatic representatives overseas.
The building's exceptional diplomatic importance to Australia and Britain was highlighted by it being one of the few civic buildings completed during the First World War.