51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment

51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment
Cap badge of the Far North Queensland Regiment
Active1916–1919
1921–1930
1936–1943
1950–1960
1965–1976
1985–present
Country Australia
BranchArmy Reserve
RoleRegional force surveillance
SizeOne battalion
Part ofRegional Force Surveillance Group
Garrison/HQCairns
Nickname(s)The Eyes and Ears of the North
Motto(s)Ducit Amor Patriae (love of country Leads Me) (Latin)
MarchQuick – The Far North Queensland Regiment (Band); The Black Kookaburra (Pipes and Drums)
Slow – Soldiers of the North
Commanders
Honorary ColonelColonel K. Ryan
Insignia
Unit colour patch
Abbreviation51 FNQR

The 51st Battalion, Far North Queensland Regiment (51 FNQR) is an Australian Army Reserve Regional Force Surveillance Unit headquartered at Porton Barracks in Cairns. The battalion's primary role is to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance tasks in support of border security operations. Its area of operations includes the Torres Strait (especially Australia's border with Papua New Guinea) and the Cape York littoral environment. Additional tasks for 51FNQR include the collection and collation of military geographic information as well as community engagement and disaster relief operations.

Soldiers in the unit are cross-trained in a variety of "low-visibility" skills such as weapons, survival, sniping, medic, small boat handling, driving, tracking, air operations. It is the only battalion of the Far North Queensland Regiment, and draws its lineage from an Australian Imperial Force (AIF) light infantry battalion, which was raised for service during World War I.