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While most Australians are outside in the sunshine enjoying the typical Australia Day activities of family get togethers, barbecues, games and heading to the beach, it’s a good time to question how much you know about your own country?
A tourist or overseas friend or family member could ask you some curly questions.
For example, when was the current Australian flag accepted and what is the national animal and flower emblem?
“Regarding the Australian flag, a competition was launched in 1901 and five almost identical entries shared the prize,” a historian said. “Artist Annie Whistler Dorrington was the first named of the five.
“It was first flown in 1901 in Melbourne. In 1908 a seventh point was added to the Commonwealth star to represent the territories.
“The five stars represent the constellation of stars known as the Southern Cross and show Australia’s location in the southern hemisphere.
“The large, seven pointed star is the Federation or Commonwealth star. Each of the points represents one of the six States and seventh is for the present Australian Territories (Canberra and the Northern Territory).”
Emblems
The golden wattle is the national flower emblem while the red kangaroo is the animal emblem.
Some states and territories have more than one animal emblem and some have bird emblems too.
- Australian Capital Territory - royal bluebell and gang-gang cockatoo
- NSW - waratah, platypus and kookaburra
- Northern Territory - Sturt's desert rose, red kangaroo and wedge-tailed eagle
- Queensland - Cooktown orchid and koala
- South Australia - Sturt's desert pea, hairy-nosed wombat and piping shrike or magpie
- Tasmania - Tasmanian blue gum and Tasmanian devil
- Victoria - common heath, Leadbeater's possum and helmeted honeyeater
- Western Australia- red-and-green kangaroo paw, numbat or banded anteater and black swan
The Coat of Arms
The Coat of Arms is the symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia, the official badge of the Commonwealth Government.
Often you can see it on Commonwealth Government buildings and on letterheads used by all government departments.
In 1912 the new design was approved by King George V, and is the Coat of Arms we use today.
The shield in the centre was divided into six, each with the badge of a state. The shield and ‘supporters’, the kangaroo and emu, are now surrounded by golden wattle, the national floral emblem. At the bottom, the scroll simply says “Australia”.
See: britannica.com/topic/Emblems-of-Australia and kidcyber.com.au/flag-anthem-and-emblems-of-australia.
