Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recalled Queen Elizabeth II's famous visits to Australia in a moving tribute as Commonwealth leaders began to honour monarch's Platinum Jubilee.

Albanese lit a beacon to the Queen in Canberra on Thursday night shortly before, on the other side of the world, the Queen emerged onto the balcony at Buckingham Palace for the climax to her birthday parade.

The prime minister hailed a "life of service, fidelity, integrity and humanity" and wished her majesty the nation's "very warmest congratulations".

READ MORE: Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations begin across the UK

"Sydney was a young city, and a young queen stood here, full of promise and full of purpose," he said.

"As we mark this Jubilee, we can say that she fulfilled that purpose. Her Majesty has amply kept her promises."

"Hers continues to be a life of unswerving loyalty unfailing dignity, grace under pressure, a warm welcome for every person she met."

Australia and New Zealand were among 54 Commonwealth countries marking the jubilee on Thursday night, but Canberra was one of the first capitals to participate in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Beacon event.

Each city will light a beacon in royal purple to honour her majesty.

Australia

Landmarks across Australia were bathed in purple light to celebrate the Queen's reign.

Sydney Harbour basked in purple light from 9pm during a "seven minutes for seven decades" celebration of the Queen's reign.

The government will on Saturday rename Canberra's Aspen Island, where the Queen opened the National Carrilon in 1970

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"I look forward to officially renaming Aspen Island to Queen Elizabeth II Island later this week as a mark of Australia's appreciation and respect for Her Majesty," Albanese said, earlier in the day.

Other key parts of Australia's involvement in the celebration include a Sydney mum who composed the official anthem for the jubilee which will be sung as beacons are lit across the world.

Lucy Kiely from Haberfield beat hundreds of entries in the international competition, Song for the Commonwealth, for her lyrics to be sung by choirs around the world during the official event.

New Zealand

New Zealand will have a beacon shining in Wellington.

Other celebrations include the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery using four 25-pounder guns to react during their 21-gun salute at Point Jerningham.

A Florida fisherman is reeling after having an encounter with not one, but two, man-eating creatures.

David Zinn was fishing near sunset with his stepdad in Port St. Lucie, a city south-west of Orlando, on May 29, when he felt a tug on his line.

He was shocked to find he had caught a juvenile bull shark.

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Together the pair rushed down to remove the hook from the shark's "razor mouth".

That's when fishing took a dangerous turn.

"Down by the water, a five foot (1.5 metre) gator lunged at us," Zinn told 9news.com.au.

"We almost fell down the rocks into the water with both of them.

"Took us by surprise. In the end both the gator and shark swam away safely.

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Florida has, on average, seven unprovoked alligator bites per year, data from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shows.

The US state also has the dubious reputation of being the shark attack capital of the world, according to the International Shark Attack File.

While bull sharks are deemed an "aggressive species" that can range from saltwater and freshwater environments, marine biologist Chris Lowe told 9news.com.au in January, blacktip sharks are likely responsible for the majority of bites there.

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Zinn has been left buzzing since his close encounter.

"(It) was a day on the water I will never forget," he said.

"Hope to think this would have made Steve Irwin proud. He is a legend."

Wellington will be the second Commonwealth capital city to take part in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Beacon event tonight. In celebration of Queen Elizabeth II reaching 70 years on the throne, and her 70th anniversary as New Zealand’s…

Four days of celebrations honouring Queen Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne are underway with a display of British military traditions stretching from the days of horse and cannon to the jet age.

Formal celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee begin with Trooping the Colour, an annual military review that has marked the sovereign's official birthday since 1760.

The Queen is expected to join the working members of her family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace at the end of the event when 70 aircraft are set to roar overhead.

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The jubilee is being commemorated with a four-day holiday weekend in the UK.

The celebration of Elizabeth's reign includes a service of thanksgiving Friday at St Paul's Cathedral in London, a concert at Buckingham Palace on Saturday and a pageant staged by thousands of performers drawn from schools and community groups around the country on Sunday afternoon.

Throughout the weekend, neighbourhood organisations and individuals are expected to hold thousands of street parties around the country, repeating a tradition that began with the Queen's coronation in 1953.

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Australia marks the Queen's milestone

There will be celebrations for the Queen right across the Commonwealth.

In Australia, the Sydney Harbour will bask in purple light at 9pm on Thursday during a "seven minutes for seven decades" celebration of the Queen's reign.

Other landmarks across the nation will also light up in royal purple over the next four days to celebrate the occasion.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will light a beacon in Canberra on Thursday night to honour the Queen.

"Today I have the great privilege of lighting a beacon as part of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Beacons and to commence Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Australia," Albanese said in a statement.

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The government also plans to rename Aspen Island in Canberra after the Queen as a show of "appreciation and respect".

"I look forward to officially renaming Aspen Island to Queen Elizabeth II Island later this week as a mark of Australia's appreciation and respect for Her Majesty," Albanese added.

New Zealand has also marked the historic celebrations for the Queen's 70-year reign.

The Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery used four 25-pounder guns to react during their 21-gun salute at Point Jerningham.

In Wellington, similarly to Australia, a beacon will light up in royal purple at 9pm NZST.

It will be the second of 50 Commonwealth capital cities taking part in the Queeen's Platinum Jubilee Beacon event.

Millions are celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. As well as street parties around the country, special concerts, parades, pageants and a full Trooping the Colour will take place with all the pomp and ceremony you'd expect. And keep an eye out for the return of Meghan and Harry too.

"I had mould growing in my lungs."

For young Canberran Caitlin Ross, the mould crisis hitting Australian homes was almost a death sentence after mould spores started growing in her lungs.

"I had intense pain in my lung and I knew something was really, really wrong," she said.

"I'd been through three different courses of antibiotics and nothing had worked.

"I was pretty lucky at that point to even be alive."

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Ross has no idea where she was exposed to mould and two years later she is still feeling the consequences of breathing in the spores.

"I was a bit disgusted, to be honest, mould is something you think is a bit gross and icky and that was inside of me," she said.

"I have permanent scarring in my lungs. If I breathe too hard or exercise too hard that will pull on the scarring and cause a lot of pain.

"It's never going to go away, and I'm never going to be able to live life without that pain and it's so much worse in the winter, because you have less elasticity in your lungs when you're breathing, and that just exacerbates all that pain." 

After the wettest year on record, mould is breeding and spreading in homes, cars, and in the air. 

Asthma Australia warns the wet conditions are causing mould to grow and therefore increase the risk of breathing in "unwanted health problems".

"It's not just the mould you can see, we are all breathing in lots of mould spores every day," Respiratory Specialist Professor John Blakey said.

"In the most extreme circumstances, people with depleted immune systems can get a pure infection and that can be very serious."

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People with asthma or existing lung conditions are most at risk of developing more serious health problems from mould exposure. 

However, with the rise in the prevalence of mould and respiratory conditions brought on by COVID-19 more people are at risk. 

"No need to panic but there is probably a need to take action for some people to get on top of the problem," Blakey said.

"You may not think it's very dangerous, but I nearly died from mould, so it's something you should be aware of, that you should take seriously," Ross said.

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The next problem is moisture removal products are hard to get with shelves across Sydney being emptied as mould becomes a problem in most households.

If Sydneysiders can get their hands on mould removal products, Asthma Australia recommends wearing protective equipment and cleaning with a mixture of vinegar and water.

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Two waterlogged car thieves have been arrested in a Macedon dam, accused of leading police on a chase through the Melbourne's north west overnight.

Police say they first noticed a man and woman in what appeared to be a brand new black Triton utility vehicle just before 1am in Pascoe Vale, in Melbourne's north early this morning.

After running the registration, it appeared the vehicle was stolen and police attempted to intercept it, when the driver sped off "erratically", they said.

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Officers, with assistance of the police helicopter followed the ute through Broadmeadows, Sunbury and then Macedon.

Police used stop sticks to puncture the tires and bring the vehicle to a stop in Black Forest Road in Macedon.

Swooping the area, uniform members and the dog squad closed in on the pair after they ran from the dumped vehicle onto private property.

Police Dog Ted and his handler led officers to a farm dam.

"The cold, wet and shivering pair were found half-submerged trying to get away," police said.

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"They were coaxed from the water and arrested."

A 34-year-old man, of no fixed address, has been charged with theft of motor vehicle, theft from motor vehicle, evade police and other related charges.

He faced Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court today.

A 25-year-old woman of no fixed address has been charged with theft of motor vehicle and theft from motor vehicle.

She has been bailed to appear at Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court on November 7.