Vocabulary · Australian culture
Australia Day in English
B1
Australia Day in English: the national day on 26 January, the First Fleet and its history, barbecues and the beach, and the debate about Invasion Day and Aboriginal culture. With British pronunciation (IPA) and examples.
Quick answer
The national day
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Australia Day(n.)“Australia Day is on January 26th.” | the national day on 26 January | /ɒˈstreɪliə deɪ/ |
| Australia(n.) | a country and continent in Oceania | /ɒˈstreɪliə/ |
| Australian(adj.) | from the land of kangaroos | /ɒˈstreɪliən/ |
| Aussie(n./adj.) | an informal word for an Australian | /ˈɒzi/ |
| public holiday(n.) | a day off for everyone | /ˈpʌblɪk ˈhɒlɪdeɪ/ |
| national day(n.) | a country's big yearly celebration | /ˈnæʃənəl deɪ/ |
| summer(n.) | the hottest season of the year | /ˈsʌmə/ |
History and the First Fleet
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| First Fleet(n.)“The First Fleet arrived in 1788.” | eleven British ships that arrived in 1788 | /fɜːst fliːt/ |
| colony(n.) | a land ruled by another country | /ˈkɒləni/ |
| settler(n.) | a person who makes a home somewhere new | /ˈsetlə/ |
| convict(n.) | a person found guilty of a crime | /ˈkɒnvɪkt/ |
| Sydney Cove(n.) | the bay where the First Fleet landed | /ˈsɪdni kəʊv/ |
| Captain Cook(n.) | a British explorer of Australia's east coast | /ˈkæptɪn kʊk/ |
| British flag(n.) | the Union Jack: red, white and blue | /ˈbrɪtɪʃ flæɡ/ |
Celebrations and symbols
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| BBQ / barbie(n.)“Aussies love an Australia Day barbie.” | cooking meat outside over a fire | /ˌbiːbiːˈkjuː/ |
| beach(n.) | sand next to the sea | /biːtʃ/ |
| surf(n.) | big waves breaking on the beach | /sɜːf/ |
| fireworks(n.) | colourful explosions in the night sky | /ˈfaɪəwɜːks/ |
| Australian flag(n.) | blue, with the Union Jack and stars | /ɒˈstreɪliən flæɡ/ |
| Southern Cross(n.) | a group of stars on the flag | /ˈsʌðən krɒs/ |
| kangaroo(n.) | an animal that jumps and carries babies | /ˌkæŋɡəˈruː/ |
| koala(n.) | a grey animal that lives in trees | /kəʊˈɑːlə/ |
| Vegemite(n.) | a salty brown spread for toast | /ˈvedʒɪmaɪt/ |
| pavlova(n.) | a meringue dessert with cream and fruit | /pævˈləʊvə/ |
Invasion Day and Aboriginal culture
| Word | Meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal(adj.) | from Australia's first peoples | /ˌæbəˈrɪdʒənəl/ |
| Indigenous(adj.) | from the people who lived somewhere first | /ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs/ |
| First Nations(n.) | Australia's original peoples and their communities | /fɜːst ˈneɪʃənz/ |
| Invasion Day(n.)“Many call it Invasion Day, not Australia Day.” | 26 January seen as a sad day | /ɪnˈveɪʒən deɪ/ |
| Survival Day(n.) | 26 January as a day of resistance | /səˈvaɪvəl deɪ/ |
| protest(n.) | a public action against something | /ˈprəʊtest/ |
| reconciliation(n.) | making peace after a conflict | /ˌrekənsɪliˈeɪʃən/ |
| land(n.) | the ground, a country or a territory | /lænd/ |
Common mistakes to avoid
Australia Day in winter ❌: it is summer
26 January is in the middle of the Australian summer (Australia is in the southern hemisphere). People celebrate in shorts, at the beach or by the pool. A picture to remember: Aussies have a barbie at the beach, not in warm winter coats.
A disputed date: Invasion Day
26 January 1788 = the arrival of the British First Fleet = the start of colonisation = a trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Many Australians call 26 January Invasion Day or Survival Day, and some local councils (in Melbourne and Hobart, for example) have stopped some of their celebrations. It is a sensitive topic.
Aussie with an s sound ❌: say ozzy
Do not say Aussie with an s sound, like aw-see. Say /ˈɒzi/ (ozzy), with a z. The same goes for Aussies = /ˈɒziz/. It is the informal short form of Australian, and Australians use it a lot themselves.
Practice quiz
Related pages: Australia Day
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
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Frequently asked questions
When is Australia Day?+
Australia Day is on 26 January every year, and it is a public holiday in Australia. The date remembers the arrival of Captain Arthur Phillip's First Fleet at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788. This was the start of British colonisation.
Why is Australia Day controversial?+
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 26 January marks the start of the invasion, the loss of their land and the near destruction of their cultures. Many call it Invasion Day or Survival Day, and they protest every year. A movement called Change the Date wants to move the national day to another, less painful date.
What do people do on Australia Day?+
Typical activities are a family BBQ (a barbie), a day at the beach (Bondi, Manly), fireworks over Sydney Harbour, parades and free concerts. There are also citizenship ceremonies, where new Australians officially become citizens.
What is typical Australian food?+
Vegemite (a salty spread made from yeast), pavlova (a meringue dessert with cream and fruit; New Zealand also says it invented it), lamingtons (small cakes with chocolate and coconut), the meat pie, fairy bread (bread with butter and coloured sprinkles) and, of course, prawns on the barbie (prawns cooked on the barbecue).
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/vocabulary/australia-day
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.