After more than 16,000 kilometres and nearly 20 hours in the air, the Pope emerged from the Alitalia Boeing 777 plane dressed in his customary white robes and red shoes at about 3.15pm, greeted by a welc-oming party that included Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Premier Morris Iemma and Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell.

After a brief stay on the tarmac, the Pope’s motorcade, which included three ambulances, was given a police escort to the Kenthurst Study Centre, a retreat run by Opus Dei, where he will recuperate from his 20-hour flight from Rome until his first official engagement tomorrow.

A bulging crowd gathered along Windsor Street outside the base from 1pm, eager to catch a glimpse of the Pontiff as he touched down on Australian soil for the first time.

Excitement in the waiting crowd hit fever-point as the Alitalia flight AZ4000, bearing the Australian and Papal flags, was sighted flying high over the Hawkesbury just before 3pm, circling over the mountains and landing from the east of the runway minutes later.

The public were kept well away from the Pope, with the perimeter of the air base patrolled by Defence Force personnel.

A heavy police contingent manned the streets surrounding the base, while onlookers lined the fences and climbed trees for a good vantage point.

When the jet touched down on time just after 3pm, Windsor Street turned into a carpark as motorists hung out of their windows for a better view.

The Pope’s arrival was witnessed by a mixed crowd, with some non-religious spectators admitting they simply came for ‘a sticky beak’.

But for many gathered by the side of the road, such as the Maugeri family, the day was a unique opportunity.

“We lived in Italy almost all our lives, and never saw the Pope in the Vatican,” Orazio Maugeri from Lane Cove said.