Australian of the Year
The Australian of the Year awards are announced by the Prime Minister the day before Australia Day each year. The awards celebrate the achievements of people who inspire us. There are four categories: Australian of the Year; Young Australian of the Year; Senior Australian of the Year; and Local Hero.
Meet the newly announced 2018 Australian of the Year finalists.
Young Australians of the Year 2016
Meet Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett, Young Australians of the Year in 2016. Read their inspiring story and how they turned their ideas into innovative ways to help homeless people.
Senior Australian of the Year 2015
Jackie French was the Senior Australian of the Year for 2015. She is one of Australia's best known and well loved children's authors. Read 10 fun facts about this wombat-loving author. Read about Jackie's role as Australian Children’s Laureate in 2014-2015. Check out these Treksntrails highlighting two of Jackie’s award winning books:
A Day to Remember Pennies for Hitler
The First Australians
Australia’s indigenous peoples have lived here for tens of thousands of years. Find out about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures at the National Museum of Australia. Aboriginal art is an important part of Australian culture but it’s under threat from cheap overseas imports. Watch this Behind the News story to learn more.
Symbols of Australia
Explore ten official - and unofficial - Symbols of
Australia at The National Museum of Australia. Vegemite, kangaroos, the flag … what would you add to the list? What people, places, animals or things would make your top ten list of Aussie symbols? Check out the different flags at the Australian Flag Society page.
Visit the Symbols of Australia page at the NMA.
Aussie Inventions
Did you know Australians invented wifi technology? Aussies have long been great inventors. Take a peek at this list of world changing Aussie inventions. You can find a more detailed account of Australian inventions at the Australian Govevernment website.
Why 26 January?
On 26 January Captain Arthur Phillip arrived at Sydney Cove after an eight month journey from England with the First Fleet. He raised the British flag to claim the land and begin a new British colony. Some Australians debate whether this is the best date to celebrate Australia Day. Watch this BTN episode, First Fleet, to learn more about the history of Australia Day. Visit the State Library of NSW website, scroll down to the . map, then click play on the map to watch an animation of the First Fleet voyage.
Aussie Art Craft
The Australia Day council of NSW has a page of colouring sheets related to Australia Day. You can print maps and the flags, flowers and animals that are symbols of each of the states and territories. DTKL website has lots of crafts and information, including the national anthem, flag facts and Aussie recipes.
New Aussies
Every Australia Day people who have settled here
from all over the world take the pledge to become new Australian citizens. Did you know that Australian Citizenship Day is celebrated in September?
Read what it means to be an Australian citizen.
Play online games to learn more about being a citizen of Australia.
Australian Cricketing History
If you're a cricket fan, this is the site for you! At the National Museum web site, you can look at photographs of Australia's First XI squad from 1878, watch a home movie of an Australian cricket tour in 1930, see Shane Warne's 2003 PepsiCo TV ad and much more. Go to the National Museum's Kids Page. After you explore, you get to make your own documentary! This activity was designed for 10-12 year olds.
For Teachers - Free Australia Day Printables
Three free Australia Day worksheets for download (6MB): Australia Day acrostic poem, Perfect Pavlova writing prompt and enlarging a map of Australia using a grid. Click on the cover to download this resource for free from Teachers Pay Teachers.
