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Event
Information:
Australia Day (previously known as
Anniversary Day, Foundation Day and
ANA Day) is the official national
day of Australia. Celebrated
annually on 26 January, the day
commemorates the arrival of the
First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788,
the hoisting of the British flag
there, and the proclamation of
British sovereignty over the eastern
seaboard of New Holland.
Australia Day is an official public
holiday in every state and territory
of Australia, and is marked by the
Order of Australia and Australian of
the Year awards, along with an
address from the Prime Minister.
Although it was not known as
Australia Day until over a century
later, records of celebrations on 26
January date back to 1808, with
Governor Lachlan Macquarie having
held the first official celebration
of the formation of New South Wales
in 1818. In 2004, an estimated 7.5
million people attended Australia
Day celebrations and functions
across the country.
The
date is seen as controversial by
some Australians, particularly
Indigenous Australians, who see
commemorating the arrival of the
First Fleet as celebrating the
destruction of the native Aboriginal
culture by British colonists. In
Sydney the harbour is a focus and
races are held, such as a ferry race
and the tall ships race.
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