A homecoming is rarely complete without a drive-by of your old school.

So it was with Queen Mary of Denmark, who reflected on good memories while passing her alma mater on a royal tour of Hobart on Thursday.

King Frederik and Australian-born Mary were bringing their six-day Australian visit to a close during Thursday’s much-anticipated hometown leg.

Mary grew up in the suburb of Taroona on the city’s southern fringe, before a chance meeting with Frederik at a Sydney pub in 2000 changed her life.

She began the tour on the grounds of Government House in Hobart with a Welcome to Country, before jumping on a boat to view kelp conservation efforts.

Mary held a crayfish, which was released back into the water after a quick photo.

The couple and their entourage drove past Taroona High School, where Mary was educated.

“Some good memories popped up,” she said.

Next on the itinerary was a stop at ship builder Incat, which has supplied electric ferries to Denmark, where a plaque in the shape of Tasmania was unveiled.

“It doesn’t feel real seeing royals from another country come to little Tasmania,” Incat welder Lewis Spaulding said.

“The start of the week I couldn’t have imagined meeting a king and queen.”

It is the Danish royals’ first official visit to Tasmania in more than two decades, their first since assuming the throne in 2024.

Crowds will gather along the Hobart waterfront for an afternoon meet-and-greet.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Hobart resident Vivian Dance said.

“Queen Mary is very special to Hobart, she is what dreams are made of getting to marry her prince.”

King Frederik and Queen Mary greet a guest at Wednesday’s reception in Melbourne. Photo: AAP

Local mother Ashley Blakesley planned to leave work early for a chance to welcome the homecoming queen.

“I’ve been warning my workmates I might be off work for a little bit,” the self-described keen royal watcher said.

“If I happen to get word (Queen Mary) is down at a school or somewhere, I’ll shut my computer and head off.”

She plans to bring with her a newspaper clipping from 2024, when her son Harrison joined other local students to plant a tree marking Mary’s coronation.

Born Mary Donaldson, the Queen’s link to the island state is deep and enduring, a point made by Premier Jeremy Rockliff prior to the visit.

“Tasmanians and Queen Mary have a special bond, and we are delighted the King and Queen of Denmark will be finishing up their Australian visit in our great state,” he said.

“This is a significant national event, and it’s fitting for Tasmanians to be able to welcome Queen Mary home in person.”

The Hobart leg will offer a personal ending to the pair’s whistle-stop tour, designed to deepen trade ties between Queen Mary’s adopted and home nations, with a focus on a shared, green future.

-AAP