Australia Day Totally Explained

Australia Day is Australia's official national day, 26 January. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove on that day in 1788.

History

26 January 1788 was the date on which the First Fleet, under Captain Arthur Phillip arrived at Sydney Cove and set up the Colony of New South Wales. By 26 January 1808, the day that the New South Wales Corps arrested Governor Bligh in the Rum Rebellion, it was being celebrated as 'First Landing' or 'Foundation Day'. In 1818 (the 30th anniversary) Governor Macquarie had a 30-gun salute at Dawes Point and gave government workers a holiday - a tradition that was soon followed by banks and other public offices.
   In 1888 all colonial capitals (with the exception of Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and by 1935 all states of Australia were celebrating 26 January as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in New South Wales).
   The 1938 (150th anniversary) of British settlement in New South Wales in 1788 was widely celebrated. Preparations began in 1936 with the formation of a Celebrations Council. In that year, New South Wales was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day - Wednesday 26 January.
   In 1946 the Commonwealth and State governments agreed to unify the celebrations on 26 January as 'Australia Day', although the public holiday was instead taken on the Monday closest to 26 January.
   Since 1994 all states and territories have taken the Australia Day public holiday on 26 January. The anniversary is also known as "Survival Day" and marked by events such as the Survival Day concert first held in Sydney in 1992, celebrating the fact that the indigenous people and culture have not been completely wiped out.
   In response, official celebrations have tried to include indigenous people, holding ceremonies such as the Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring the past and celebrating the present in Sydney in 2006, involving the New South Wales Governor and Indigenous Australians.
   Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole. Some Western Australians point out that Western Australia wasn't even claimed by Britain until 19 September 1829. The importance of Australia Day as a national event is downplayed by a portion of Australians as a cultural cringe .

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