From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Australia Day
is a
public holiday
held on 26 January every year in
Australia
. It is
celebrated
to remember the day that the
First Fleet
landed in Australia. On 26 January 1788
British
people landed at
Sydney Cove
and began a British convict settlement.
Some people do not believe that Australia Day should be celebrated on this date. For example, some
indigenous Australians
call the date
Invasion Day
or
Survival Day
because it was the day that their native land was invaded.
[1]
On 13 May 1787, 11 ships were sent from
Great Britain
to Australia. The ships carried mostly prisoners to Australia where many were going to be living the rest of their lives. The ships were led by Captain
Arthur Phillip
, who was later promoted to an Admiral.