Gold Coast, Australia(CNN) There was a nod to the conventional worldwide image of Australia: golden beaches, surfboards, emus and kangaroos.
Yet the abiding memory of the opening ceremony of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, a multi-sport event which is regarded by some as an enduring reminder of British imperialism, will be the celebration of Australia's Indigenous population's role in the country's history.
Britain's Prince Charles opened Gold Coast 2018 on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Commonwealth of countries and territories which once formed part of the British Empire.
But the two-and-a-half-hour spectacle at the Carrara Stadium, broadcast to an expected global audience of a billion people, was a reminder that the host nation's past did not begin some 200 years ago with colonial rule.
Charles removed the message from the Queen's Baton Relay, which has covered a distance of 230,000 kilometers over the course of 388 days, and then read out the Queen's recognition of Australia's rich history.
"The ancient stories told by the Indigenous people of Australia remind us that though we may be half a world away we are connected," he read.
71 nations, 275 events
In one of the most striking moments of the 2016 Olympics, Miller dived across the line to win 400m gold, edging out Allyson Felix of the US.
A two-time Olympic 800m champion, Semenya has recently begun running in the 1,500m and she could compete on two fronts in April.
Capable of throwing a shot over 21 meters, Adams is the first woman in history to win four consecutive individual world titles in a track and field event. The two-time Olympic champion has only been beaten twice in major world events since 2006.
He may only have taken up the javelin aged 15 but "Keshie" Walcott had won Olympic gold in London before his 20th birthday. He followed up with bronze in Rio.
The Kiwi won pole vault bronze at Rio 2016 in her first ever Olympics and, having only recently turned 21, still has her best years ahead of her.
Widely considered one of the the greatest female squash players of all time, David was world No. 1 for a staggering 108 consecutive months, only losing her throne in September 2015. She will be looking for a third consecutive Commonwealth gold in April?
The most successful Malaysian Olympian in history, Lee was the world No. 1 badminton player for 199 consecutive weeks. The 35-year-old has taken home silver at the past three Olympic Games.
His nation's most successful gymnast, Englishman Whitlock has five Olympic medals to his name, including gold in the men's floor exercises and pommel horse at Rio 2016.
Skinner became the first Australian to win Olympic gold in a shooting event for 12 years when she triumphed at Rio 2016 in the trap.
Growing up in a shanty with no electricity, Tuwai used plastic bottles for rugby balls and a roundabout for a pitch. Now, as an Olympic gold medalist and captain of his country, the 28-year-old will be determined to add a Commonwealth crown.
Having never even played the sport until her late teens, Caslick was named World Rugby Sevens women's Player of the Year in 2016. Still just 22, the all-rounder is already an Olympic gold medalist.
The teenage freestyle swimmer beat an experienced field to take gold in the Rio 2016 100m final. He was the first Australian to win the particular event since 1968.
A world record holder in both the 50m and 100m, Peaty has made no secret of his desire to be the Michael Phelps of breaststroke, recently taking CNN Sport through
his secrets of swimming success.
When Oleksiak (R) won the women's 100m freestyle final at Rio 2016, many of the headlines focused on the woman she tied with for gold. Simone Manuel of the US (L) was the first African-American Olympic swimming champion in history, but it should not be forgotten Oleksiak will still be just 17 years old when she competes on the Gold Coast.
The first Welsh woman to win a Commonwealth swimming gold since 1974, Carlin has a great chance to retain her title in April, having won silver medals in both the 400m and 800m freestyle at Rio 2016.
Alistair Brownlee (L) may be the only triathlete to win two Olympic titles, but his younger brother Jonny (R) isn't half bad either, having taken silver at Rio 2016 and the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
With 11 world singles titles and seven Commonwealth Games golds between them, Foster and Marshall are the undisputed kings of lawn bowls.
The reigning commonwealth champion in the women's +75kg category will hope to improve on her disappointing showing at the past Olympics, when she blamed a lack of preparation.
READ: A guide to the Commonwealth Games
Aboriginal protests
Hours before the ceremony began, the Queen's baton relay was delayed by Indigenous activists holding a sit-in. They held aloft Australian Aboriginal flags and signs reading "Not the Queen's Land."
Australia's Indigenous population is composed of mainland Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, who live in northern Queensland on the islands between Australia and Papua New Guinea.
But on basic standards of living -- from health, to education, to employment -- Australia's Indigenous population is being left far behind.
Flanked by a significant police presence, protestors were also present outside the Carrara Stadium before the Games officially got underway.
Large protests marred the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, the last time the country hosted a sporting event on this scale, but the discord of 12 years ago has not yet been matched on the Gold Coast.
And whether the representation of Australia's Indigenous past in such a global ceremony will help soothe the anger of those who believe an important part of the country's history is being overlooked is a moot point.
READ: Aussie sister act bidding to be golden girls on the Gold Coast
Flags flying in unison
The ceremony began with cameras focusing on an Aboriginal family in the crowd. They were the relatives of Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, the man who designed the medals for these Games.
The artist's 11-year-old niece, Isabella Graham, made visible a message on her smartphone which read "welcome to the oldest living culture on earth" -- Australia's First Nations peoples is one of the longest living civilizations on earth.
She then activated a digital countdown from 65,000, a reference to the number of years the history of Australia's Indigenous population spans.
Heavy rain for a 10-minute period at the start lessened the impact of a blue dome of pyrotechnics which represented the planet, but the brief downpour did not dampen the mood.
There was a live segment from Surfers Paradise, the famous beach area in this part of eastern Australia, and the acclaimed William Barton played the didgeridoo.
Mau Power, the first rapper from the Torres Strait to break into the Australian music scene, performed, as did Queensland-born singer Christine Anu and pop star Delta Goodrem.
Alongside the Australian flag flew the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags and as the ceremony came to its conclusion Luther Cora, a contemporary Aboriginal artist, and his family conducted a traditional smoking ceremony.
It is a custom still widely practiced among many Indigenous Australians and involves the burning of various native plants to cleanse in the smoke and connect with good spirits.
Exploring Australia's Gold Coast
Australia's stunning Gold Coast will stage the 2018 Comonwealth Games from April 4-15. Here are the venues that will host the event on the country's East coast.
The heartbeat of this year's Commonwealth Games is the Carrara Stadium and its capacity has been boosted from 27,500 to 40,000. the venue will host track and field events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. The arena is home to AFL team the Gold Coast Suns.
Views don't get much better than the dazzling Coolangatta beach, which will morph into the beach volleyball arena for the Commonwealth Games. Up to 4,000 will pack onto the shores of the Gold Coast for the action.
Australia is renowned for its sunny beaches and crystal seas, and Townsville, one of the three host locations outside the Gold Coast, is no exception. Close to the world-famous Great Barrier Reef, the Queensland city will host basketball fixtures at this year's Games.
Basketball heats will also take place in Cairns. The Center here has a capacity of 5,000.
Stunning sands will be easy to find for fans in Australia, which is hosting its sixth Commonwealth Games. Down on the seafront is the Optus Aquatic Center, where spectators can catch diving and swimming events.
This park will host the triathlon, where England's
Brownlee brothers will look to defend their one-two secured in Glasgow in 2014.
Home to the NRL's Gold Coast Titans, the 27,500-seat stadium will play host the rugby sevens. South Africa won in 2014, the first time a team other than New Zealand lifted the trophy. A women's competition will take place for the first time ever this year.
Better known as the set of a blockbuster movie, these Gold Coast studios will be transformed into venues for table tennis and boxing with a capacity of 3,000.
Situated in Labrador's Keith Hunt Park, this year's hockey venue has the luxury of two new, synthetic pitches. Australia has historically dominated this event, with the men triumphing every year since the sport's Commonwealth inception in 1998 and only an India victory in 2002 tarnishing the women's record.
Track cycling will be held in Brisbane at this 4,000-seat, $59-million venue, named after the retired Australian athlete who won two Olympic and five Commonwealth titles. The other Brisbane site of the Games is the Belmont Shooting Center.
A year-long project throughout 2016 helped revamp the trails and facilities of the Nerang National Park in preparation for the mountain bike competition.
Bowls has a long tradition at the Commonwealth Games, dating back to the inaugural British Empire Games -- as it was then called -- in 1930. The 2018 event will be held in a spruced-up venue next to the sea.
Weightlifting, badminton, powerlifting and wrestling will all be hosted in the shadow of the Carrara Stadium.
The Coomera Indoor Sports Center is the largest purpose-built arena that the 2018 Commonwealth Games has to offer. The 7,500-capacity venue will host gymnastics and netball.
Road cycling and race walking will start and finish on the picturesque Currumbin Bay. Pictured is a test event of the Cycling Road Race.
READ: NZ'S Bond switches strokes for spokes
An uncertain Royal future
The Commonwealth is a larger entity now than it was at the Queen's coronation in 1953.
On her accession to the throne, she also became head of state in seven of the Commonwealth's eight members. Today she is head of state of 15 realms among 53 members, all but two of which -- Mozambique and Rwanda -- are countries and territories which formed part of the British Empire.
But the Royal visit Down Under has come at a time when support for the monarchy, according to the Sunday Times, has fallen to an all-time low in the country, with a recent poll putting support at retaining the British sovereign as head of state at 22%.
Last July, Labor leader Bill Shorten said the party would hold a referendum by the end of his first term, should he win the next election, on whether Australia should become a republic.
By royal approval
The words of the Queen will once more open the Commonwealth Games, this year in the Gold Coast, Australia.
While not in attendance, her speech will be delivered from a written note inside the Queen's Baton Relay, which has traveled throughout the Commonwealth before the Games.
The Queen has had a long association with the Games during her reign. Here she hands out a medal at the 1970 Games in Edinburgh.
She has tried to play a close role in every Games since, whether handing out medals or at the opening and/or closing ceremonies.
She was on hand to open the 2002 Games along with former England football captain David Beckham.
She was absent from the Games in India in 2010 but again took part in the Queen's Baton Relay.
She was, however, in attendance in Glasgow 2014, meeting the likes of Australian hurdler Sally Pearson.
But she has opted to stay away from Australia having cut down on her long-distance foreign travel.
Instead, her son Prince Charles will be on hand to read out the speech from the Queen's Baton Relay.
READ: Queen Elizabeth's 'secret message in a bottle'
'Friendly Games'
If the Australia's constitutional future is unclear, so to arguably is the fate of an event which is in its ninth decade.
Many of the participants in a competition often referred to as the "Friendly Games" are not Olympic all-stars, though there are significant figures competing over the next 11 days -- Olympic champions Adam Peaty and Alistair Brownlee, former Olympic swimming gold medalist Chad Le Clos and track and field stars Caster Semenya and Valarie Adams, to name a few.
In this sport-obsessed country hosting the Games for a fifth time and eager to forget about the national cricket team's ball-tampering scandal, this sporting festival should prove a welcome distraction.
More than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations will compete for 275 gold medals.
Never before at a major multi-sport event have there been the same number of men's and women's medal events, while Gold Coast 2018 also has the largest program of disability sport in the competition's history.
History has been celebrated and it has already been made. Let the Games begin.