Abbott tips his hat to Texas

Yee-ha! They do things big in Texas.

Big hats, big oil, and big welcomes.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott received the warmest welcome of his entire US trip in the Lone Star State on Friday.

At the end of a brief speech in which he praised America's biggest export state and promised coal had a future spanning many decades, the prime minister was given a Stetson hat.

Having spent many childhood hours watching his hero John Wayne tame the Wild West, he couldn't resist a loud "Yee-ha!".

The Corral Cowboy-model Stetson looked huge on his head, but it didn't matter - he was in his element.

Resources chiefs from some of the world's biggest companies lined up to praise the Liberal Party leader, who is just weeks away from taking Labor's carbon tax off their backs.

The prime minister declared he wanted Australia to be "an affordable energy superpower" like Texas, the "world energy capital".

He was greeted with applause when he announced a fully fledged consulate-general would be placed in Houston to promote trade and investment.

But it was the hat that stole the show.