| Host City: | Gold Coast, Australia |
| Countries Visited: | All 71 Commonwealth Nations |
| Distance: | 230,000 km (142915 miles) |
| Baton Bearers: | 8,000 |
| Start Date: | 13 March 2017 |
| End Date: | 4 April 2018 |
| Baton Designer: | Alex Wall and Warren Shroeder |
| Baton Development: | Designworks |
| Logo Size: | 250px |
The 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay was run from 13 March 2017 until 4 April 2018, prior to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The baton bearer selection process for the Australian segment was announced on 18 October 2017.[1]
As well as touring Australia the schedule included the other 70 Commonwealth Nations.
The Queen's Baton Relay was launched on Commonwealth Day, 13 March 2017, on the historic forecourt at Buckingham Palace in London, signalling the official countdown to the start of the Games. Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Edward, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II heralded the start of the relay by placing her 'message to the Commonwealth and its athletes' into the distinctive loop-design Queen's Baton which then set off on its journey around the globe.[2] Her Majesty was accompanied by Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Peter Beattie, Chairman of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) and Yugambeh elders Patricia O'Connor and Ted Williams in the ceremony. The Queen's baton was brought into the stage by Australian Paralympic champion Kurt Fearnley . He started from Marlborough House up The Mall and then into the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace. He was also accompanied by the Band of the Scots Guards, who played by permission of Major General BJ Bathurst, The Major General commanding the Household Division.[3] After the message was placed safely inside the Baton, The Queen handed over the baton to Australian cyclist and Commonwealth and Olympic Games gold medalist Anna Meares. She, along with English track cyclist Victoria Pendleton, then carried the baton around the Queen Victoria Memorial and handed over to the Australian singer Cody Simpson. He then boarded on a Kombi van with the baton and left the place as an indication to the Baton's final destination, Gold Coast.[4]
The baton travelled for 388 days, spending time in every nation and territory of the Commonwealth. The Gold Coast 2018 Queen's Baton Relay was the longest in Commonwealth Games history. Covering 230,000 km over 388 days, the baton made its way through the six Commonwealth regions of Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.[5] For the first time in the history of the baton relay, the Queen's Baton was presented at the Commonwealth Youth Games during its sixth edition in 2017 which was held in Nassau, Bahamas.[6] The baton landed on Australian soil on 24 December 2017 and then spent 100 days travelling through Australia.[7]
The Queen's baton for the 2018 Commonwealth Games had a distinctive loop design and was made of macadamia wood and recycled plastic sourced from Gold Coast waterways. Its design was inspired by the Queensland's "vibrant spirit and indigenous heritage" and with sustainability.[8] The design of the baton was unveiled on 20 November 2016 at a special ceremony in the Jupiter Gold Coast Hotel.[9] The baton was designed by Alex Wall and Warren Shroeder from the Brisbane-based firm Designworks.[10] [11] At the 2018 Good Design Awards conducted by the Good Design Australia, the baton won the Best Product Sport and Lifestyle award.[12]
The Queen's Baton travelled in the following countries in Africa:[13]
| Sl. No. | Nation/Territory | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Leone | 15 March 2017 | |
| 2 | Ghana | 18 March 2017 | |
| 3 | Rwanda | 22 March 2017 | |
| 4 | Uganda | 25 March 2017 | |
| 5 | Cameroon | 29 March 2017 | |
| 6 | Nigeria | 1 April 2017 | |
| 7 | Kenya | 5 April 2017 | |
| 8 | United Republic of Tanzania | 8 April 2017 | |
| 9 | Seychelles | 11 April 2017 | |
| 10 | Mauritius | 15 April 2017 | |
| 11 | Malawi | 20 April 2017 | |
| 12 | Zambia | 24 April 2017 | |
| 13 | Namibia | 27 April 2017 | |
| 14 | Botswana | 1 May 2017 | |
| 15 | Mozambique | 4 May 2017 | |
| 16 | Eswatini | 8 May 2017 | |
| 17 | Lesotho | 11 May 2017 | |
| 18 | South Africa | 15 May 2017 | |
| 19 | Saint Helena | 20 May 2017 |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in the Caribbean:[14]
| Sl. No. | Nation/Territory | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Trinidad and Tobago | 28 May 2017 | |
| 21 | Grenada | 31 May 2017 | |
| 22 | St Vincent and the Grenadines | 3 June 2017 | |
| 23 | Saint Lucia | 7 June 2017 | |
| 24 | Barbados | 10 June 2017 | |
| 25 | Dominica | 14 June 2017 | |
| 26 | Antigua and Barbuda | 17 June 2017 | |
| 27 | Montserrat | 21 June 2017 | |
| 28 | St Kitts and Nevis | 24 June 2017 | |
| 29 | Anguilla | 28 June 2017 | |
| 30 | British Virgin Islands | 1 July 2017 | |
| 31 | Jamaica | 5 July 2017 | |
| 32 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 11 July 2017 | |
| 33 | Cayman Islands | 14 July 2017 |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Americas:[15]
| Sl. No. | Nation/Territory | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | The Bahamas | 18 July 2017 | |
| 35 | Bermuda | 24 July 2017 | |
| 36 | Canada | 27 July 2017 | |
| 37 | Belize | 2 August 2017 | |
| 38 | Guyana | 7 August 2017 | |
| 39 | Falkland Islands | 12 August 2017 |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Europe:[16]
| Sl. No. | Nation/Territory | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | England | 16 August 2017 | |
| 41 | Scotland | 22 August 2017 | |
| 42 | Northern Ireland | 28 August 2017 | |
| 43 | Isle of Man | 1 September 2017 | |
| 44 | Wales | 4 September 2017 | |
| 45 | Guernsey | 9 September 2017 | |
| 46 | Jersey | 13 September 2017 | |
| 47 | Gibraltar | 17 September 2017 | |
| 48 | Malta | 21 September 2017 | |
| 49 | Cyprus | 25 September 2017 |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Asia:[17]
| Sl. No. | Nation/Territory | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Pakistan | 29 September 2017 | |
| 51 | India | 3 October 2017 | |
| 52 | Bangladesh | 9 October 2017 | |
| 53 | Sri Lanka | 12 October 2017 | |
| 54 | Malaysia | 16 October 2017 | |
| 55 | Brunei Darussalam | 21 October 2017 | |
| 56 | Singapore | 25 October 2017 |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following countries in Oceania:[18]
| Sl. No. | Nation/Territory | Arrival date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 57 | Nauru | 1 November 2017 | |
| 58 | Kiribati | 3 November 2017 | |
| 59 | Niue | 7 November 2017 | |
| 60 | Cook Islands | 11 November 2017 | |
| 61 | Tonga | 16 November 2017 | |
| 62 | Fiji | 20 November 2017 | |
| 63 | Samoa | 23 November 2017 | |
| 64 | Tuvalu | 28 November 2017 | |
| 65 | Papua New Guinea | 1 December 2017 | |
| 66 | Solomon Islands | 5 December 2017 | |
| 67 | Vanuatu | 9 December 2017 | |
| 68 | Norfolk Island | 15 December 2017 | |
| 69 | New Zealand | 17 December 2017 | |
| 70 | Australia | 24 December 2017 |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in the Australian Capital Territory:[19]
| Date | Place | Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 January 2018 | Canberra | ||
| 26 January 2018 | Canberra | ||
| 27 January 2018 | Canberra to Wagga Wagga |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in the New South Wales:[20]
| Date | Place | Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 January 2018 | Wagga Wagga | ||
| Narrandera | |||
| Griffith | |||
| 29 January 2018 | West Wyalong | ||
| Forbes | |||
| Parkes | |||
| 30 January 2018 | Orange | ||
| Wellington | |||
| Dubbo | |||
| 31 January 2018 | Coonabarabran | ||
| Gunnedah | |||
| Tamworth | |||
| 1 February 2018 | Armidale | ||
| Bellingen | |||
| Coffs Harbour | |||
| 2 February 2018 | Macksville | ||
| Kempsey | |||
| Forster Tuncurry | |||
| 3 February 2018 | Newcastle | ||
| Gosford | |||
| Sydney | |||
| 4 February 2018 | Penrith | ||
| Sydney Olympic Park | |||
| La Perouse | |||
| 5 February 2018 | Wollongong | ||
| Kiama | |||
| Nowra | |||
| 6 February 2018 | Batemans Bay | Batemans Bay to Launceston |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Tasmania:[21]
| Date | Place | Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| 7 February 2018 | Launceston | |
| Devonport | ||
| Burnie | ||
| 8 February 2018 | Travel Day | |
| 9 February 2018 | Clarence | |
| Glenorchy | ||
| Hobart | Hobart to Melbourne |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Victoria:[22]
| Date | Place | Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| 10 February 2018 | St Kilda | |
| South Melbourne | ||
| Melbourne | ||
| Williamstown | ||
| Altona | ||
| Footscray | ||
| 11 February 2018 | Morwell | |
| Warragul | ||
| Frankston | ||
| 12 February 2018 | Sorrento | |
| Queensclif | ||
| Torquay | ||
| Geelong | ||
| 13 February 2018 | Werribee | |
| Ballarat | ||
| Ararat | ||
| 14 February 2018 | Bendigo | |
| Shepparton | ||
| Wangaratta | ||
| 15 February 2018 | Wodonga | |
| Yarrawonga | ||
| Echuca | ||
| 16 February 2018 | Murrabit | |
| Kerang | ||
| Swan Hill | ||
| 17 February 2018 | Nyah | |
| Robinvale | ||
| Mildura | Mildura to Renmark Paringa |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in South Australia:[23]
| Date | Place | Transfer |
|---|---|---|
| 18 February 2018 | Renmark Paringa | |
| Angaston | ||
| Glenelg | ||
| Adelaide | ||
| 19 February 2018 | Coffin Bay | |
| Port Lincoln | ||
| 20 February 2018 | Penneshaw | |
| Kingscote | ||
| 21 February 2018 | Aldinga | |
| Hahndorf | ||
| Lobethal | ||
| Stirling | Adelaide to Albany |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Western Australia:[24]
| Date | Place | Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 February 2018 | Albany | ||
| Denmark | |||
| Manjimup | |||
| 23 February 2018 | Bridgetown | ||
| Bunbury | |||
| Rockingham | |||
| 24 February 2018 | Rottnest Island | ||
| Fremantle | |||
| South Perth | |||
| Burswood Park | |||
| Perth | |||
| 25 February 2018 | Kings Park | ||
| City Beach | |||
| Scarborough | |||
| Hillarys | |||
| 26 February 2018 | Quinns Rocks | ||
| Wanneroo | |||
| Guildford | |||
| 27 February 2018 | Karratha | Karratha to Alice Springs |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in the Northern Territory:[25]
| Date | Place |
|---|---|
| 28 February 2018 | Alice Springs |
| 1 March 2018 | Alice Springs |
| Litchfield | |
| 2 March 2018 | Palmerston |
| Darwin |
The Queen's baton traveled in the following places in Queensland:[26]
The end of the relay took place in the 2018 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
The Queen's baton was brought into the Carrara Stadium in a Kombi van by Australian former swimmer Susie O'Neill. She then went to the centre of the stadium and images and videos of popular Gold Coast attractions were projected on the ground of the stadium such as feeding lorikeets, skydiving, dreaming in the ocean, walking in the treetops, and riding the rollercoaster. After that, she handed over the baton to Australian former cyclist Brad McGee, who took it to Australian wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley. Fearnley after parading it around the stadium, handed over to Australian netballer Liz Ellis, who then took it to Australian hockey player Brent Livermore. Finally, Brent handed the baton over to Australian hurdler Sally Pearson. She received a large applause from the audience as she lives in Gold Coast. She went to the dais along with the baton and hand it over to the CGF President Louise Martin. Martin removed the Queen's message from the baton and handed to Prince Charles.[27] Charles read out the message and declared the competition officially open.[28]
Tourism Australia and QSuper sponsored the international and Australian segment of Queen's Baton Relay respectively, while Longines sponsored both the segments.[29] [30] [31]