Australia to rename island in honour of Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee

Australia will rename Aspen Island in Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin to honour Queen Elizabeth II's 70th anniversary of the accession to the British throne, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday.

“Seventy years of service is a truly immense achievement, and we are proud to join with other Commonwealth nation to celebrate this milestone... Aspen Island in Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, the home of the National Carillon, will be renamed Queen Elizabeth II Island during a special event in June 2022,” Morrison said in a statement published on his website.

According to Morrison, the celebrations will include opening of new Queen Elizabeth Water Gardens, the lighting of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacon in Canberra, the release of commemorative stamps and coins, as well as illuminating monuments all around Australia.

In six weeks’ time, on February 6, Queen Elizabeth will have reigned for 70 years. In her Christmas message, the Queen said she looked forward becoming the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee - 70 years on the throne - in 2022.