Flag of Australia

Facts about the Flag of Australia

1. The 1901 design competition drew more than thirty thousand entries, and five people submitted essentially the same design; the prize money was divided between them.
2. The Commonwealth Star beneath the Union Flag has seven points — six for the original states and one for the territories, a point added in 1908.
3. The five stars of the Southern Cross have differing numbers of points, reflecting their relative brightness, which is a level of astronomical detail few flags attempt.
4. The flag of Australia was officially adopted on April 14, 1954.
5. The design is older than its adoption. It was already in use in 1901, 53 years before it was formally made the flag of Australia.
6. The flag in its present form is 72 years old as of 2026.
7. Design type: Blue Ensign with the Commonwealth Star and Southern Cross.
8. The flag is known as The Australian Blue Ensign, a name used far more often than the formal "flag of Australia".
9. The official proportions are 1:2. It shares that ratio with 54 national flags.
10. The flag uses 3 colours: blue, white and red.
11. The blue on the flag stands for the ensign field.
12. The white on the flag stands for the stars and the Union Jack.
13. The red on the flag stands for the Union Jack.
14. Commonwealth Star: Its seven points stand for the six states and the territories.
15. Southern Cross: The constellation that identifies the southern hemisphere, in four seven-pointed stars and one five-pointed star.
16. The design belongs to the "British-style ensign" family, shared with 22 other flags in this reference.
17. Flags most often confused with it: Anguilla, Ascension Island and Bermuda.
18. Australia became independent on 1 January 1901 from the United Kingdom.