Gillard,49,said before going to visit Quentin Bryce at Yarralumla she was well aware of being the first woman to become prime minister.
"First woman,maybe first redhead. We'll allow others to delve into the history and I'll allow you to contemplate which was more unlikely in the modern age,"Gillard told her first press conference after being elected leader by Labor MPs.
"I didn't set out to crash my head on any glass ceilings. I set out to keep my feet on the floor and to be there walking the streets,talking to Australians about what's the right thing for this nation."
Australia is tickled pink at having its first female prime minister but debate continues over when Gillard decided to take on Rudd. She said yesterday she had only decided in recent days.
Some think that in retrospect Gillard's decision to dye her hair at the weekend - to a shade somewhere between Irish setter and Cyndi Lauper's scarlet period - should have been a giveaway that something was afoot.