"Obamamobile" arrives in Australia ahead of US president's official tour Down Under (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

Australia's presidential press corps is officially excited.

News.com.au has reported breathlessly on the arrival of the "Obamamobile" Down Under, ahead of the US president himself on Wednesday. 

"Black, shiny, bullet-proof and can repel a chemical weapon attack. Nice ride," reads the caption on a photo accompanying the story. 

The limousine — call sign is Cadillac One, which arrived in the Australian capital Canberra aboard a C-17 Globemaster on Saturday — is indeed an impressive example of American car making.

Nicknamed "the beast," a Secret Service press release at the time of Obama's inauguration claimed that the car's security and coded communications systems made it "the most technologically advanced protection vehicle in the world." 

Most Americans with any interest read about the Obamamobile around the time the president himself was inaugurated. But here's a recap:

All the security a president could wish for during a visit to a small, friendly nation with strict gun laws and no real stake in dispatching an American leader.

However, just to be sure, a US Marine Corps Black Hawk helicopter was reportedly patrolling the skies over Canberra on Sunday, while Australian Air Force jets were to begin security drills on Monday.

According to News, Obama — who canceled two previous trips to Australia (owing to crisis management of his healthcare legislation and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill) — will perform a number of official duties in Canberra on Thursday:

After addressing a joint sitting of parliament on Thursday morning, he will visit a local elementary school then lay a wreath at the War Memorial.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard was reportedly "looking forward to the visit."

"I think President Obama and I personally both got on very well. I enjoy working with President Obama. I've enjoyed working with him in a variety of formats," she was quoted as saying from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hawaii.

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