Australia Day Events

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On 26 January 2011, Australians all over the world will take pause to commemorate the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788.

For my part, I have found myself walking down the streets of London or standing in the blistering cold of Beijing on Australia Day, secure in the knowledge of my own anonymity, when a single clarion call of an Australian accent will remind me that no matter where I am, the celebration of Australian national identity will always reach me.

It is a time when patriotism leaps out at you from every angle, and is even present in the broad inflection of our beloved Aussie accent.

In Australia, even though there are some sectors of society who consider the landing of the First Fleet a day of sadness, rather than jubilation, there is no doubt that 26 January is an annual event which sees over half of the population attending family or community events.

A party with over 10 million guests? That's hard to beat.

In 2011, however, the Premier of NSW acknowledges that "on this Australia Day, our thoughts go out to the victims of the devastating floods in many parts of New South Wales and other States, and the brave farmers and families still coping with loss and hardship."

While this note of solemnity is undoubtedly warranted, it does not appear to have affected the plans that have been laid down in various locations around Sydney to celebrate the occasion.

Apart from the informal events your friends and neighbours may arrange, the centre of Australia Day celebrations in Sydney can be found in three main locations: Hyde Park, the CBD, and around Sydney Harbour and can be identified on the Australia Day website.

The festivities will commence at 8am in the Royal Botanic Gardens, with the Woggan-ma-gule Morning Ceremony. Woggan-ma-gule, the meeting of the waters, is a ceremony born of the Darug Nation of the Gadigal people. Through song and dance, in a mingling of ancestral ritual and contemporary music, the ancestral spirits will be honoured.

The spirit of inclusion and community that commences with this ceremony will be extended at 9am in Circular Quay, with the GIO Oz Day 10K wheelchair race around the Rocks. Commencing on Alfred Street, the 10K is the most high profile wheelchair-sporting event in Australia.

Australia has always been a sporting nation, so it is no surprise that at Hyde Park, this significant aspect of our national identity will be celebrated in the Have A Go Sport interactive sports event for children, which will see AFL and Netball stars come together to run activities for children. Another highlight will be the showcase of five trampolines that visitors are welcome to try out on the day.

Also in Hyde Park, but attracting a more sedentary brand of Australian, will be the Wine Garden. Commencing from 10am, revellers will be invited to sample Little Creatures Premium Beer and Petaluma wines.

The ABC Exhibition Trailer will be open from 10am to 5pm in Hyde Park, allowing visitors to perform in a mini ABC TV and radio station. Even if you cannot make the commute to the exhibition trailer itself, you can tune in to 702 ABC Sydney to enjoy the festivities from your own living room or en route to your own BBQ.

The various events around Sydney that form pockets of merriment on Australia Day will be combined in a spectacular display of celebration at the fireworks in Darling Harbour. Featuring a boat parade, the Sydney Youth Orchestra, and of course, an exceptional firework display, organisers tout the Australia Day Spectacular as "quite simply the biggest event on the NSW Australia Day calendar."

Nonetheless, if it were possible to single out a particular event as best embodying the nature of Australia Day, it would have to be the ceremony occurring at 2pm on the Hyde Park Main Stage, as Lord Mayor Clover Moore swears in the most recent additions to the Australian citizenry.

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