Footage of a live television broadcast of John, Paul, George and Jimmy’s 12:15 p.m. arrival in Melbourne aboard a chartered Ansett ANA Fokker Friendship aircraft. They were greeted by a crowd of 5,000. Once again they were loaded on the back of a truck for public display and taken to Southern Cross Hotel to reunite with Ringo. Note that Jimmy is wearing a tan trench coat while the others are wearing their capes.
Earlier that day, Ringo and Brian Epstein arrived. A newspaper report…
More than 2000 fans — some of whom had been camped there since early on Friday — lined the wire mesh fence of a special reception area.
Frenzied squealing began when his airliner came into sight and reached a crescendo that drowned even the sound of aircraft motors when the mop-haired drummer stepped onto the passenger gangplank.
Ringo, wearing a black corduroy Edwardian coat and carrying a large, pink-ribboned toy koala, looked tired and drawn as he waved an overnight bag to the fans.
They were taken to the hotel. Here’s the Beatles Bible…
Three thousand fans were at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Hotel when Starr and Epstein arrived. Ringo was taken in on the shoulders of Police Inspector Mike Patterson, who unfortunately tripped and fell as he attempted to pass through the crowd.
More on that incident via Beatles Interviews…
The police inspector decided to put Ringo on his shoulders and make a dash for the entrance. It seemed like a good idea until our PR lady began waving to the crowd, then tripped and fell down right in front of this piggy back. (The inspector) stepped on her and down came Ringo, right into the grasping claws of hundreds of kids. When we finally pulled him out and got him inside… his first words were “Give us a drink. That was the roughest ride I’ve ever had!”
