Australians celebrated their official national holiday yesterday. Australia Day is held on the 26^th January every year and is a public holiday where various events and festivals are held across the country.

In Sydney, residents enjoyed a tall ships race, a ferry race, a fireworks display, an indigenous dancing show, a music concert and a huge barbecue in Hyde Park. In Melbourne, there was a parade and swimmers competed in the Great Australia Day Swim from Middle Brighton Pier. Brisbane staged a festival with free workshops, fireworks, music and dancing. The state of Queensland also put on entertainment shows and hosted a public barbecue.

On a national level, the Order of Australia awards were held and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd made an address to the nation.

Australia Day is held to mark the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788 when the first settlement was established and British sovereignty was claimed. Although the festival is popular across the country, there is some opposition to the celebrations from Indigenous Australians and other groups who see the day as ‘Invasion Day’ and protests can occur. Recently however, Indigenous events are extensively included in Australia Day celebrations and the theme of multiculturalism is promoted.

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