You will find that most Australians are nowhere near as patriotic as say Americans . The Australia Day holiday is just another reason for a day off . Even though it is held on 26 January because that was supposedly the date Captain Cook planted the UK flag on the shores of Botany Bay , I reckon most Australians wouldn ' t care if it was moved to a different date . It would be a good thing if it was moved , especially as a gesture of respect and inclusion to the many native Australians who feel that 26 January is invasion day . If moved to a different date it could become a day to celebrate for ALL Australians and help build better relationships with the aboriginal communities . They do after all , have a long history of around 30 , 000 years of occupation of this continent and it ' s long past time that the reminders of the White Australia policy are gone forever .