The Australian Flag

The Australian Flag shows the six white stars of the Southern Cross on a blue background. (It is sometimes confused with the New Zealand flag, which is the same basic shape but has five red stars instead.)

In the top corner of the Australian flag is the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain - a reminder of our colonial beginnings 200 years ago. The British flag is often called the 'Union Jack'.

A few Australians, particularly those of non-British ancestry, would like to see the Union Flag (i.e. the Union Jack) removed from the Australian flag. Several alternative designs were suggested some years back, but none was adopted.

For the time being, at least, we keep the Aussie flag as it is.

Another Australian flag which is worth remembering is the Eureka Flag, which was raised in defiance of the colonial authorities in Ballarat, Victoria.

The Eureka rebellion was mainly a protest at crippling taxes on the gold miners there. But it became an armed battle at the Eureka Stockade.

The brief rebellion was quashed by Redcoat soldiers with rifles and bayonets, aided by the Victorian police, but the Eureka Flag survives to this day as a reminder of the men who died there. The town of Ballarat recently celebrated the 1.5 centenary of the Battle of Eureka Stockade, and has a museum in the town for visitors.

Another flag you'll see flying around Sydney is the Australian Aboriginal Flag. It has stark black, red and yellow in it's design to signify the red sand of the desert and the hot yellow sun. The sky shows as black on this flag.