Happy Australia Day to all those who frequent this board.
Heading off to the town barbeque breakfast in the park and then will come home to watch the cricket this afternoon - aah summer! Gotta love it!

Yup Put another Shrimp on the Barbie for me too

Yes Happy Australia Day.

BBQ lunch, fresh prawns, pavlova and lammingtons for desert.

Ah to choose watching cricket or tennis

Thanks ozgirl - hope you enjoy your Australia Day too and we win the cricket!

Our daughter is working in Whistler BC (nursing a broken ankle!!!)) and they have the biggest celebration outside of Australia up there. The girls are all going to the post office this morning to pick up Oz Day care packages from home......flags, stubbie holders, tattoo's etc as well as Anzac biscuits, Tim Tams and Pizza Shapes, their going to have a great day.

Over here in the West we call them prawns!

Happy Australia Day

And what a great day for the beach yeah!!

Hi Ozgirl and others
Happy Australia Day to you too.
Here in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney it is hot and sticky but I am still going to cook a leg of lamb! Sorry if it is unAustralian but I don't like barbies much. This time of year too many flies in the daytime, mosquitos at night. Still it is better here than in many places today!
Have a good one.
Rosemary

Happy Australia Day. ?

Greetings from Perth. 33C and blue sky. Hope your tinnies are cold and frothy. Have a bonza day.

Forgive the ignorance - but what is the reason for the date of Australia Day? Does it commemorate some specific event (like signing the declaration of independence or storming the Bastille) - or was it picked at random?

Hi nytraveler and others who may not know why this date is significant to us Aussies, this is a little cut and paste that will give you general overview.

Australians have a national holiday every January 26th to remember their origins and celebrate their achievements.

ORIGINS:
On January 26, 1788, a fleet of ships landed at what is now Sydney, Australia. These ships were under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip and had brought a load of prisoners from England. The prisoners on the ships were not all criminals as we would think of them today. Many of them were people who had been arrested and jailed as a result of minor theft ie stealing a loaf of bread. The prisons in England/Ireland at the time were already hopelessly overcrowded.

Many of the prisoners (men and women) died on the ships on the way over due to the appalling conditions onboard. The surviving prisoners were the first Europeans to settle in Australia.

The desire to get rid of criminals was not the only motivation for colonizing Australia. Botany Bay, Australia made a good port of call for British ships travelling in that part of the world. Also, Australia's raw materials were an attractive reason for colonizing the country.

Happy Australia Day all!

Happy Australia DAy from Perth. Have had an hours walk along the beach and then a swim at beautiful Whitfords Beach and all before 9am. Not many places in the world like that. So have a good day to all on the board.

Thanks cathies, for that concise explanation to the rest of the world! Have just finished my lamb chop and settling in for (hopefully) a great Aussie innings watching the telecast at the Adelaide Oval.
Perfect weather in SA today.

I am watching the cricket hiding from the heat in broome and going to cable beach tonight for a barbie-butterfly lamb, green papaya salad and coconut rice.

Thanks for explanation cathies. That is indeed a reason to celebrate!!! I have read many books that descrided th sea journey....harrowing! No wonder you Aussies are such a hardy group!

Well I knew the general story overall - but had never heard the specifics about the date and it beng celebrated.

Congratulations!