His first day in Canberra was spent meeting with expatriates from Brunei and in private meetings, but in Australia’s relatively relaxed national capital it was still possible to catch a glimpse of a man worth a reported $20 billion who apparently lives in a palace with 257 bathrooms and drives a gold-plated Rolls-Royce.

The ruling monarch of the oil-rich nation off the north coast of Borneo for the last 44 years, the Sultan - aka His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah - is in Canberra for three days.

His Majesty is in Australia at the invitation of Governor-General Quentin Bryce, who will formally greet him on Thursday in a ceremonial welcome at Government House including a traditional 21-gun salute and inspection of the Australia’s Federation Guard and the Royal Military College Band, Duntroon.

Australian Defence Force personnel will conduct the gun salute from Weston Park at 11.15 am.

The Sultan was met Wednesday morning at Fairbairn airport by the Labor Member for Fraser Andrew Leigh after arriving in his own Airbus A340. He reportedly enjoys flying his own plane on international flights but there was no official confirmation about whether he was behind the flight deck for the trip to Australia.

Also the prime minister of Brunei, he is travelling with a large entourage that is ensuring every detail is considered. One member of the entourage was overhead asking a member of the Hyatt staff for a ‘‘nicer’’ tablecloth for one of the meeting rooms.

The Sultan and his guests enjoyed a three-course meal featuring seafood prepared by the Hyatt’s executive chef Nitin Kumar.

With the women wearing multi-coloured hijabs and even some of the children in three-piece suits, smartly-dressed Brunei expats were among about 100 people who sat down to the lunch with the Sultan and then listened to him speak before getting an all-important photograph with the monarch.

Former Brunei residents, accountant Joceline Fu, 27, of Melbourne and pharmacy student Lien Fah, 21, of Brisbane, travelled to Canberra just to see the sultan.

‘‘The main reason was to speak to him and get a photo,’’ Ms Fu said.

They were beyond excited. Ms Fu had only seen him once before in her home country.

‘‘Usually it’s just a very brief moment of seeing him. Now it’s like an actual whole hour of speaking with him,’’ Ms Fu said, adding the Sultan was ‘‘a really great leader. Very generous, kind. He helps a lot’’.

The Sultan arrived in Canberra after the disappointment of his Northern Territory cattle property Willeroo Station failing to sell last week.

Ray White Rural real estate agent Russell Wolff confirmed the property was passed in at auction in Brisbane last Friday for $12 million.

Mr Wolff said the Sultan had owned the property for about 30 years and it was his last holding in the Katherine region.

The monarch exported live cattle from the property to Brunei. Mr Wolff said the sale had nothing to do with the recent strife over the live cattle trade.

‘‘I’ve never met him and will never meet him. I just talk to his people in Australia,’’ Mr Wolff said.

He was confident of an Australian-based company sealing a deal on the property within coming months.

In the meantime, the Sultan gets to enjoy Canberra’s autumn weather.

Following Thursday’s ceremony, the Governor-General will meet the Sultan for discussions before hosting a state lunch in his honour. The Governor-General previously met the Sultan during her state visit to Brunei Darussalam last October.

Given the Sultan of Brunei is known for his flamboyant displays of wealth, it is hardly surprising his mode of transport is something out of the ordinary.

In fact, the interiors of the Sultan's aircraft must surely set a benchmark in luxury.

The Sultan arrived in Canberra in an Airbus A340, part of his personal fleet that reportedly includes a Boeing 747.

Images from inside one of his Airbuses reveal a taste for bling, with gold lights and fittings throughout much of the craft.

They show a master bedroom fitted out with a perfectly made bed and mirrored ceiling. In a luxury living area, a large teal-coloured armchair and lounge are on display with a wooden sideboard and coffee table.

British celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson had a glimpse inside one aircraft for a television series he filmed in the oil-rich sultanate titled Adventures in Brunei.

In a clip from the series, Worrall Thompson shows drawers filled with cutlery including spoons with the sole purpose of eating caviar.

There is a shower on board inside an opulent bathroom and a formal meal setting was laid out on a table.