On the first Monday in June annually, the Australian state of Western Australia celebrates the 1829 foundation of the colony in this state. This Monday is a public holiday for the whole state of Western Australia.
Western Australia Day Public Holiday 2019 & 2020
Though the official day for Western Australia Day is always June 1, the actual public holiday that allows people off from their daily work and student lives will be on a Monday. This makes it a long weekend celebration, where people take full advantage of the freedom to explore the state, go on vacations, and experience the events and entertainment across Western Australia.
In 2019, the public holiday for Western Australia Day is on June 3, and in 2020, the holiday is on Monday the 1st (on the actual Western Australia Day). For the general population, people take time off from schools and their work, and many businesses will be closed.
Establishments centered around entertainment, including restaurants, cafes and pubs, often take advantage of having more people out and about celebrating the holiday, and will stay open for that. Generally, coastal areas become busy with people traveling out of the city to the beaches for their long weekend holiday.
Western Australia Day History
The Dutch explorers of the 1600s were the first group of people to see the West coast of Australia, then later came the French, though both parties decided against exploring the region further as it didn’t seem to be the most suitable area to be populated.
It wasn’t until 1826 that an outpost of the army served as the first British settlement. Explorations of the west coast continued on in 1827, and it was recommended that a permanent settlement would do well in the Swan River area.
1829 marked the date when the British merchant ship, Barque Parmelia, officially returned to the area to settle. From 1833 to 1876, it was called Foundation of the Colony, and later, from 1877 to 2011, it was named Foundation Day. Now it is officially called Western Australia Day.
The reason why the official date of the Western Australia Day is always June 1 is that it is the anniversary of the Parmelia’s first sighting. However, the actual holiday where people have their time off from work and school occurs on the first Monday of June, so the date may differ from the 1st some years, as mentioned above for the 2019 dates.
Throughout history, it’s become a much-loved day for celebrating the origins of the settlement of state, whilst giving western Australians a longer weekend to enjoy the festivities. For more information about the history of Western Australia Day, read more up here.
Events of Western Australia Day
From actual events, to casual holidays, people take advantage of the celebratory energy of this day, and tend to always organise something different to do for the long weekend. As mentioned, many entertainment and hospitality businesses will stay open in order to cater to the crowds of people who have them off from work and school responsibilities for the day.
There is a range of different activities for people to take part in for this day, including a big Western Australia Breakfast, which is hosted by the governor of the state. People join the event by winning competition prizes leading up to the day. It could be answering a question about why they consider Western Australia to be a valuable, community-driven and vibrant place to be.
There is also focus in many communities on celebrating the indigenous Australian population who were already on the land for thousands of years, as the colonisation marked the point in history where two cultures converged.
There is also a Western Australian of the Year Award each year, which recognises Australians in this region who show talent in different categories; arts and culture, aboriginal, community, business, sport and youth. The winners of all of the categories are then in the running to be selected Western Australian of the Year.
The long weekend that the public holiday is apart of is where people attend the WA Day Festival, which is free for all attendees, and is comprised of a range of different events across regional and city areas around the state. Each year and in every place, the offerings are different, such as parades and entertainment, and you can keep updated with the events of the Festival here.
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