Early morning commuters got a sneak peek into the Queen's visit as the Admiral's Barge was lowered into Lake Burley Griffin this morning.
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The 12m boat arrived on truck from Sydney this morning, along with three members of the Australian Navy.
Able Seaman Lucy Ricketts said the team had been in preparation mode since finding out about the Royal visit several months ago.
"The first thing we had to do was find out if it was even possible to get the boat here, that was our main concern," she said.
"It's never been on the lake before... This is a bit out of the ordinary."
The team was on hand near the Southern Cross Yacht Club since 6.45am, overseeing a security search by members of the Australian Federal Police before the boat was lowered into the water around 8.30am.
Able Seaman Ricketts said that while the vessel can seat between 12 and 15 people, the team was expecting only six passengers for Thursday's trip from Government House to Commonwealth Park.
Petty Officer Keith Schodel said the team would now spend the following days with members of the Water Police, undertaking maintenance work on the 18-year-old boat, built in Brisbane by Norman R. Wright and Sons.
"We've got to check all the motors," he said.
"It's usually on salt water, so we need to check all the filters and everything, make sure the water still goes through properly. We've got a busy day ahead of us."
While the team is yet to meet with representatives of the Royal party, Petty Officer Schodel said they were well versed in working with dignitaries.
"We've been in this job for 12 months and we've had the Governor-General, governors, Chief of Navy, Fleet Commander and counterparts from foreign navies on the vessel," he said.
"We've done this a few times."