Flag History |
When Australia became an independent nation in 1901 it needed a flag to identify itself to the world. A competition to design a national flag was won by five strikingly similar designs. Apart from a minor change in 1908, the flag has remained unchanged since then. The flag first flew from the Exhibition Building in Melbourne on 3 September 1901. This date has been set aside as Australian National Flag Day. The flag has accompanied Australians to the ends of the earth - it has been with them to war and on missions of peace; it is often seen on sporting fields of the world and on the roof of the world, and currently flies in Antarctica and in East Timor. |
Flag Date of Adoption | 20 February 1903 - Flag approval announced by King Edward VII |
Flag Symbolism |
The flag is blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars. The Australian Flag comprises three distinct parts: the Southern Cross, the Commonwealth Star, and the Union Jack. The background of the flag is blue. On the right-hand side are the five white stars that make up the Southern Cross constellation as seen in the skies of the Southern Hemisphere. Four of the stars have seven points, and one has five. The large white star in the bottom left-hand corner has seven points, one for each of the six states and one for the territories. This symbolic star is called the Commonwealth Star. In the upper left-hand corner is the Union Jack, Great Britain's flag. Australia has kept the Union Jack in its flag as a reminder of where many of the early settlers came from and because Australia is a member of the British Commonwealth. |