Australia Day

Australia Day On January 26 in 1788, 11 convict ships from Great Britain landed at what is now Port Jackson in New South Wales, where Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag to signal the beginning of the British colony.

Since the early days of the British colony, Sydney has marked January 26 using various names, such as Anniversary Day, First Landing Day and Foundation Day. This gradually evolved into ‘Australia Day’, and other states and territories officially adopted the name in 1935.

Although celebrations originally focused on the anniversary of the British occupation of New South Wales, since 1979, the federal government has promoted an Australia Day that was less British and more Australian in the hope of unifying Australia’s increasingly diverse population.

Australia Day eventually became a national public holiday in 1994. According to the National Australia Day Council, it’s “the day to reflect on what it means to be Australian, to celebrate contemporary Australia and to acknowledge our history”. Courtesy