Australian fans wowed as Edinburgh Tattoo kicks off Down Dunder

The Tattoo took place in Sydney's ANZ stadium with a full-size replica of Edinburgh Castle

The 2.5 hour show - the longest ever staged by the Tattoo - took place in Sydney's ANZ stadium and against the backdrop of a life-sized Edinburgh Castle replica.

More than 1,500 performers took part - the Tattoo took with it the biggest cast in its 69-year history and joined with hundreds of performers from home oil in Australia. Altogether there were military and civilian performers from 14 nations across the world, including Papua New Guinea, France, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Switzerland.

The theme for the Tattoo in Sydney was "At All Points of the Compass" and it featured a a bold design inspired by Indigenous art and the constellation of the Southern Cross, used by travellers to navigate in the southern hemisphere.

Switzerland's Top Secret Drum Corps perform in the ANZ stadium

And organisers pushed the boundaries with lighting, sound and special effects to represent the traditional fireworks seen at the Edinburgh show.

Tattoo chief executive and producer Brigadier David Allfrey said: “Sydney has been an outstanding city in which to host this landmark show. Everything about this production has been extraordinary. This Tattoo has been nearly three years in the planning, it has been designed to place Australia and her heritage at the heart of an extravaganza, with a cast of close to 1,600 and technical support beyond anything we have brought together before.

“We have been so well supported by the Australian Defence Force – who have helped, amongst so many other things, to gather in all of the Pacific nations cast - and our partners have spared no energy or skill to reach the audience and do the heavy-lifting in the production.

"Above all, we have been privileged to use one of the world’s most iconic venues and we have been touched by the warm responses from the audiences, many of whom have travelled huge distances to be with us. Thank you, Australia!”

The Tattoo previously visited Australia in 2016 with performances in Melbourne and Wellington. Future tours of Canada and China have been earmarked before 2021.