Advance Australia Fair - the national anthem
The Australian national flag
The Golden Wattle - our floral emblem
Green and Gold - our national colours
The Opal - our national gemstone
Our Coat of Arms
Advance Australia Fair
Advance Australia Fair, Australia's National Anthem, was proclaimed in 1984 to identify Australia at home and overseas, uniting the nation and as a public expression of joy and pride in being Australian.
Download a fact sheet about the Australian National Anthem
Download the words to the Australian National Anthem
Download the words and sheet music to the Australian National Anthem
The Australian National Flag
The Australian National Flag is Australia’s foremost national symbol. First flown in 1901, it has become an expression of Australian identity and pride.
The Australian National Flag has three elements on a blue background. The Union Jack in the upper left corner acknowledges Australia’s historical links with the United Kingdom. Below the Union Jack is a white Commonwealth Star, the seven points of which represent the unity of the six states and the territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. The seventh point was added in 1908 and is the only change to the flag since 1901.
The Southern Cross is shown on the fly of the flag in white. This constellation of five stars can only be seen from the southern hemisphere and so is a reminder of Australia’s geography.
Learn about our other Australian flags
Our floral emblem
Australia's national floral emblem is the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha Benth.). When in flower, the Golden Wattle displays Australia's national colours of green and gold.
As one species of a large genus of flora growing across Australia, the Golden Wattle is a symbol of unity. Wattle is purpose-built to withstand Australia's droughts, winds and bushfires. The resilience of wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people.
Our national colours
The national colours of green and gold hold a treasured place in the Australian imagination. Long associated with Australian sporting achievements, the national colours have strong environmental connections, conjuring images of our beaches, mineral wealth, grain harvests and the fleece of Australian wool. Green evokes the forests, eucalyptus trees and pastures of the Australian landscape. Together, the green and gold are the colours of Australia’s national floral emblem – the Golden Wattle.
Since the late 1800s, green and gold have been popularly embraced as Australia’s national sporting colours.
The Governor-General, the Rt Hon Ninian M Stephen AK GCMG GCVO KBE, proclaimed green and gold Australia's national colours on 19 April 1984.
Our national gemstone
Australia's national gemstone is the opal, a stone famous across the world for its brilliant colours. In Indigenous stories, a rainbow created the colours of the opal when it touched the earth.
Opal, also known to Indigenous people as 'the fire of the desert', is a powerful symbol of Australia's arid interior.
Australia is home to the world's highest quality, most precious opals, the most famous being the black opal from Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. Black opals have a colour play of red, green, blue, violet, magenta or yellow against a dark background.
The Governor-General, the Hon Bill Hayden AC, proclaimed the opal Australia's national gemstone on 27 July 1993.
The Australian Coat of Arms
The Australian Coat of Arms is the formal symbol of the Commonwealth of Australia and its authority and ownership. The Coat of Arms, as granted by King George V in 1912, consists of a shield containing the badges of the six Australian States, enclosed by an ermine border. The shield is a symbol for the federation of the States, which took place in 1901.
The symbols of Australia’s six states appear on the shield arranged in two rows of three columns:
- New South Wales - Golden Lion on a red St George's Cross on a silver background (usually depicted white), with an 8-pointed star on each extremity of the cross.
- Victoria - White Southern Cross (one star of 8 points, 2 of 7 points one of 6 points and one of 5 points), beneath an Imperial Crown, on a blue background.
- Queensland - light blue Maltese Cross with an Imperial Crown at its Centre, on a white background.
- South Australia - the White-Backed Magpie (or Piping Shrike), erect, wings outstretched, on a yellow background.
- Western Australia - Black Swan swimming, left to right, on a yellow background.
- Tasmania - Red Lion on a white background.
Australia's national floral emblem, the Golden Wattle, frames the Commonwealth Coat of Arms.
The kangaroo and emu hold the shield with pride. Some say the kangaroo and emu were chosen to symbolise a nation moving forward, based on the commonly held belief that neither animal can move backwards easily.
A gold Commonwealth Star sits above the shield. Six of the star’s points represent the Australian states while the seventh point represents Australia's territories.