Australia has been American since the fall of Singapore and battle of Coral Sea 1942 . We have Hallow'een and soon will do 4th July if the head of state can be organised . Trump is no worse than the Canberra train wreck . Or else there could be an Australia day where people sing Waltzing Matilda and mean it instead of muttering "avansstriliafare" . If it was sung next Anzac Day then it's halfway there.

The Australian Opera House (the first in Australia) was
built in Sydney. The architectural design made world
headlines, and despite its cost and complications in
building it has become one of the foremost cultural
attractions of Australia.

In Melbourne, the Victorian Arts Centre was planned as the
"art gallery wonder" of Australia. The centre was to
become a spectacular architectural attraction
with its watershielded glass front, its stained glass
ceiling, and so on. The art purchases of the gallery have
become matters of public debate, and with the increased
interest, more and more people have been getting experience
of art than perhaps ever before.

The overseas fame of Australian masterpieces, like the
play "The Summer of the Seventeenth Doll," and many others,
and the fame of individual performers like - Nicole Kidman,
Joan Sutherland, June Bronhill, Peter Finch, Barry HUmphries,
Sir Robert Helpmann, the Seekers, and many, many, more -
writers, musicians and performers in all the arts earned
Australia a place amongst the best.

In sport, Australians had long excelled. The fame of Ken
Rosewall, Margaret Court, John Newcombe, Dawn Fraser,
Betty Cuthbert, Ron Clarke, Lionel Rose, Rod Laver, and
other sport "greats" gave Australia a reputation for sportmanship
that made a nation of such a relatively small population
proud. We featured in the Olympics, and showed the world our
ability and keenness.

Of course American-made films, television programmes,
fashions, cars, fads, and gadgets did flood the country.
But so did products from the UK and other countries.
Today China figures as a trading partner. However we are
all still very much aware of our own individual style
which continues to evolve and change but remains
distinctly Australian.

Australia was sliced and diced by experts. "This has its origins in an agreement reached between Spain and Portugal by the Treaty of Tordesillas on 7 June 1494. By this treaty, they divided between them the world outside Europe, a the settlement brokered by Pope Alexander VI and proclaimed in a Papal Bull. Portugal had dominion over all lands east of the Tordesillas Line ( Atlantic), while Spain had dominion over all lands west of that line. This enabled Spain to develop its monopoly over the Americas and the Pacific Ocean to 135 degrees ( Pacific) during the ensuing three centuries. Consequently, the Dutchman, Abel Tasman, in 1644 named only the western half of the new continent as New Holland, leaving the eastern half as Terra Australis within the dominion of Spain. This avoided any additional conflict with Spain, against whom Holland was fighting for independence, while at the same time assuming control of the East Indies for the Portuguese.

This appears to explain why in 1786 the British selected the 135 meridian as the western boundary of New South Wales, leaving untouched the western half of the continent known as New Holland.They did not wish to offend the Dutch before signing them up with Prussia and Holland in 1788 to form the Triple Alliance as a buffer to the French." Spain allowed Britain into the Pacific from 1790". In 1801, Governor King appointed an English missionary in Tahiti as a Justice of the Peace for that Island, while Governor Macquarie at a later date appointed a Justice of the Peace in the South Island of New Zealand".
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So Australia Day is for the Spanish bit the Pope didn't give to Portugal and includes New Zealand . Canberra could sell NZ to repair the budget with 2 years rent to Spain for 1788-90 as Kiwis never declared Independence and Australia could use their footie players.

Nick,

Could you please let us know what is the point of
this discussion. What is the point that you are trying
to make

The point is about identity and copying US. Australia Day is the nearest thing to 4th July but nobody can say what the point is except flag waving. It's for convicts and Poms leaving ships in 1788..The military colony was 1/2 the continent plus most of the Pacific such as Tahiti but not WA. The Day is as false as the national song which also means nothing much. As you say , Oz has talent but what talent is there in the big day?

Hi Nick,

Australia Day marks the anniversary of the 1788
arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at
Port Jackson, NSW and the raising of the flag of
Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur
Phillip. The tradition of having Australia Day as
a national holiday on 26th January is a recent one.
It wasn't until 1935 that all the Australian States
and territories used that name to mark that date and
it wasn't until 1994 that they began to celebrate
Australia Day consistently as a public holiday on
that date.

Australia Day is now the official National Day of
Australia and it is supposed to be a day when we
come together to celebrate what's great about
Australia and being Australian. It's a day to
reflect on what we have achieved and what we can still
achieve. However it means different things to different
people. To some it's just another public holiday.
And to many of our Indigenous people - it represents
"Invasion Day." A day of mourning. And the controversy
still exists around changing that day to another date.

As for the 4th July?

It is a National holiday - but that is the only thing
that it has in common with Australia.
Australia celebrates the arrival of the British.
The United States celebrates their leaving.

That date for Americans is - Independence Day.
The 4th July 1776 is a day the represents the
Declaration of Independence and the birth of the
United States as an Independent Nation. The 13 colonies
claimed their independence from England - an event
which eventually led to the formation of the United
States.

Perhaps one day - when we become a Republic Australians
will be willing to change the date of Australia Day to
include our Indigenous people. Who knows what the
future holds for us all. Effective changes take time
to implement. We have come a long way - and hopefully we
shall continue to grow and evolve as a cohesive and proud
nation.