The 26th of January is 'Australia Day' - it marks the arrival in 1788 of the First Fleet and the proclamation of British Control over the eastern portion of Australia. The aim was establish a penal colony it what was then called 'New Holland'. There were over 1000 convicts on the prison boats that formed part of the fleet.
Of course, for the Native Australians this was not really a day of celebration, and today many people consider it inappropriate that this event is honoured in this way.
What ever your opinion on the this, the stories of the convicts are remarkable - and the litany of crimes for which they were transported is remarkable to read.
In Campbell Town in Tasmania there is a trail consisting of red bricks, each of which carry the name of a convict, their age, the boat on which they were brought to Australia, their crime (and I use the term loosely), the term of their transportation. Some also contain addition information about the person.
It's a remarkable experience to walk along and read the bricks.
I feel that reading these bricks may be a better way to think about being Australia than wearing a flag and cooking some meat over a BBQ. But I don't expect everybody to agree with me!
You can find more images from around the world at Our World Tuesday. SM.
PS: With luck normal service will now resume on my blog!