Australia Day is on January 26th, and is a public holiday, quite odd for a Tuesday, but very nice too! We celebrated it fully this year - for a start we had to be up early for Katy (good Girl Guide) to get down to Wahroonga Park to help with the Citizenship Ceremony that takes place every year on that date.
We all went along to watch and it was really interesting... there was a band playing rousing Australian tunes like Waltzing Mathilda (or 'we all sing Matilda...' as Tom thinks it goes...) and there were free barbecue breakfasts for all those receiving their citizenship from the local dignitaries. Katy joined a group of Guides and Scouts in holding flags of each nationality present - there were something like 14 different nationalities all 'becoming Australian' and she had to stand and hold up the flag when 'her' nationality was called out.
We all went along to watch and it was really interesting... there was a band playing rousing Australian tunes like Waltzing Mathilda (or 'we all sing Matilda...' as Tom thinks it goes...) and there were free barbecue breakfasts for all those receiving their citizenship from the local dignitaries. Katy joined a group of Guides and Scouts in holding flags of each nationality present - there were something like 14 different nationalities all 'becoming Australian' and she had to stand and hold up the flag when 'her' nationality was called out.There were quite a few long-winded speeches about the history of Australia and suchlike, but all in all it was a fascinating and enjoyable process... all helped by the fact it was a beautiful sunny morning...
The lovely weather continued, and Ally and William did us a barbecue brunch on our return - it's traditional to barbecue on Australia day (well, it seems to be traditional every day of the year, but never mind!) and they cooked us up a feast of lamb chops, bacon, sausages, hash browns, eggs and more - we were all starving so it was hugely enjoyed!
The Australia Day celebrations continued for us at Bicentennial Park late afternoon where a big event was being held - tattoed with Australian flags and slogans, and wearing Aussie hats and waving flags, we took a big picnic in the Esky, champagne, glasses and the works... and sat and enjoyed the bands (all Australian-themed...) and fireworks until late in the evening. It was all completely free of charge and the kids wandered around enjoying various entertainments laid on... 
plus freebies from stalls etc... and again all in lovely warm sunshine (well, it was actually quite hot but we nabbed ourselves a shady spot so were very happy!)
plus freebies from stalls etc... and again all in lovely warm sunshine (well, it was actually quite hot but we nabbed ourselves a shady spot so were very happy!) 
It became really atmospheric as darkness fell and a lovely classic/rock band came on (three glamorous girls playing classical music on violins but in a rock style) accompanied by fire-eaters, followed by the finale of loads of fireworks accompanied by the same music style. Happy Australia Day everyone!
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