Australian Flag ( Blue Ensign )
The first flag flown on Australian soil was the "Union Flag*". From 1788 the Union Flag remained as the Australian flag, until the six states ( Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, and Tasmania ) were unified as the "Commonwealth of Australia" on January 1st 1901.
A competition was held that year to find a new flag for Australia. Thousands of submission were received and by amazing chance, 6 of the designs were almost identical. The judging panel opted for a cross between all six designs and fairly divided the prize money between the winning entrants.
The Union Flag is still prominent in the upper left hand corner, showing the strong ties that still exist with the United Kingdom. Beneath this is the Commonwealth Star. This star originally had six points representing the states, though a seventh was added in 1909 to represent the territories of Australia.
The Australian flag also displays the Southern Cross on the fly edge, a constellation displayed through the southern skies of Australia. This is made up from 5 stars, with the larger stars being seven pointed and the smaller one a five pointer.
THE SOUTHERN CROSS
Certainly the crux is the most distinctive constellation of the southern hemisphere, a unique collection of five stars that can be viewed from any place in Australia .
Four major stars feature in the constellation, the bottom one is the biggest, known as acrux. On the left is the brightest star, the Alpha cruces.
This bold constellation has been not only a symbol to the peoples of Oceania but is a valuable navigational tool. Australia always recognises five stars in the group, while others such as New Zealand, four. Other countries that feature the Southern Cross on their flags from this region are Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Micronesia and the Island of Niue.
* Often the "Union Flag" is incorrectly called the Union Jack. In true definition, the "Jack" part defines a flag that is flown on the stern of a boat, so technically any flag can be a Jack if flown in this manner. The true name for for the canton on the Australian Flag is the "Union Flag".
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Flag Adopted - May 22, 1909
Ratio - 2:1
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