"There was a sense not only in London but in all the capitals of the world that an age had come to an end, a stronger sense than there had been when the 19th century itself drew to a close."" (1). .
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There were mixed feelings with the end of Victoria's reign. At the time Australian culture still revolved around Britain and most Australian's were either born in Britain, or had relatives residing there. Victoria was the Queen of Great Britain for such a long time period that by the time of her death no one under the age of 60 remembered another sovereign's reign. This meant that the vast majority of Australians had great sentimental attachment to Victoria, although they did not look negatively on the coming reign of Edward VII. This is supported by this quote from Encarta, "For most of her subjects, an age seemed to have come to an end, and for all the sorrowful tributes there were many people who looked forward not only to a new reign but a new future.""(1).
On 9 July 1900, Queen Victoria proclaimed the Commonwealth of Australia to come into being on 1st January 1901. Federation unified Australia as a country. Both Victoria and Britain supported this, which intensified the love felt for their Queen. Australia was still very British based at the time of federation, so royal support from Britain, encouraged federation to occur. A link between the people of Australia and Queen Victoria had grown and developed during the 10 years of the federation process with the decline of radical nationalism in Australia.
In 1901, there was a real and deep affection for Queen Victoria, the spectacular Diamond Jubilee of 1897 and with the ageing of the Queen herself. As her personal power and strength declined, public attachment to the monarchy increased. Previous critics grew nervous of appearing to insult a worthy, now frail, old woman, who was also a mother and grandmother. Above all, the Queen was represented as a symbol of peace and goodness, and as a universal and loving mother.