The ‘Rhinos' were escorted on the last leg of their flight, over southeast Queensland, by four F-111s, which will retire at the end of this year.
Minister for Defence Senator John Faulkner, Chief of Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, and Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Mark Binskin joined Boeing and US Navy representatives at a homecoming ceremony on 26 March.
Federal, state and local government representatives and Air Force personnel also turned out to see the five aircraft arrive on Australian soil.
"The Super Hornet program has been a huge success," Senator Faulkner said.
"A lot of hard work has been done to bring this project to the point where RAAF aircrew are flying the first jets here to Australia, and that credit is shared by the members of No. 1 Squadron, the Air Combat Transition Office, the Australian Super Hornet Project Office for the DMO, the US Navy, the Boeing Company, and their industry partners, General Electric, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon."
The 24 Super Hornets, acquired as a bridging capability under a US Foreign Military Sale, are Australia's first new air combat aircraft in 25 years.
The first five Rhinos have been delivered on budget and ahead of schedule.
Defence is spending approximately $100 million on Super Hornet-related developments at RAAF Amberley, which include a new No. 1 Squadron operations building, warehouse, flight simulator, aircraft shelters and maintenance facilities.
Australia's Super Hornets will arrive at RAAF Amberley progressively during 2010 and 2011.