Introduction: Australia is divided into states, each with a government. Regions within those states are governed by local councils. These local councils plan Australia Day formalities and festivities for their community. As of 2008, for the first time, Australia Day "good-will" ambassadors will go national. The ambassador programme began in NSW in 1990 with 9 ambassadors. This year, 320 communities will host ambassadors. This person has some form of public identity - from TV star to musician to university professor. Paula Duncan, who has won 7 logies for her acting, will be the ambassador for Tenterfield - the birthplace of Peter Allen who created and sang "I Still Call Australia Home."

Common features of Australia Day celebrations are:

* big outdoor community breakfast

* street parade - demonstrating multiculturalism + including community clubs

* formal citizenship ceremonies - often about 11am after the street parade. A student from a local school is often given the honour of singing the Australian national anthem at this ceremony. In Camden NSW, in Sydney's south metro, the parade ends in Macarthur Park. And there the formal elements of the day are held in these beautiful hillside gardens. (The gardens are a popular spot for wedding photos.) Many stay there for a picnic lunch and listen to the afternoon music.

* Most ceremonies include recognition of those community members who have died in wars, in natural disasters or in/after community service.

* Awards are given for community service. Art, sport and music awards (often as the result of community competition) are also included. The most prestigious awards, however, are those given by the federal government and are announced in national newspapers and on TV. Such awards include Australian of the Year and Young Achievers Award.

* outdoor street theatre + musicians - buskers or concerts

* children's activities - jumping castle, face painting, races etc

* sporting matches such as football

* beach activities - beach volleyball is popular + water sports

******* MOST ACTIVITIES ARE FREE!

Sydney, NSW can claim to have "the most formal" in the oddity department. In the morning, Sydney Harbour teems with all manner of watercraft on parade. In the afternoon is the race of tall ships from Bradley's Head to the Harbour Bridge. Usually, these tall ships offer lunch or twlight cruises of the harbour, but on Australia Day they're allowed one chance to have an adrenalin rush all of their own!

Melbourne, Victoria is offering the Great Australia Day Duck Race on the Yarra River. But not on 26th January, which falls on a Saturday! This will be held on 28th January - the holiday Monday! "All profits from the Great Australia Day Duck Race will benefit the development of life saving activities and environmental protection through Life Saving Victoria and Clean Up Australia." The public is being asked to adopt a duck for a chance to win a new car! The ducks are bright yellow rubber ducks with numbered life-saver caps on. And there's thousands of them!

Then there is a rodeo at Ulverstone in northern Tasmania, and, in Brisbane, a 10,000 Steps walk and bush tucker tours to encourage healthy living. I notice on a number of council websites, walking is becoming a regular part of Australia Day festivities - a "healthy living statement". But Northern Territory wins for the greatest range of odd celebrations. Keep in mind, the Northern Territory is in possibly the hottest, the most humid, the most dry part of Australia, way up north. First of all, there is the Australia Day Ball in Alice Springs while the capital, Darwin, will host a Ute race! (Surely, that should be the other way round?) And if you are really looking for an Australia Day with a difference, Tennant Creek is definitely the place to be! There you will find a thong and gum boot throwing event AND a leaky bucket race! (After thinking this would be the oddest of the odd, I found a mention of a thong and gum boot throwing event in Penrith, west of Sydney! Australia has a bit of a larrikan profile. Is this event going to become the next Australia Day "hit"? "These boots ain't always meant for walkin"?)

I thoroughly enjoyed tracking down these odd events. But then the mind began to wonder! These are only the publicised events! What else might there really be!

And then, my thoughts turned to Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of "Lonely Planet". I wondered what were his plans for the day! It wasn't hard to find out! On his blog, he states he will be in Rainbow at 8am, in Jeparit at 9am,in Dimboola at 10am and Nhill at 11am. If you have never heard of these places, I am not surprised.

Rainbow is a small town of several hundred people 57km north of Dimboola. Jeparit, 35km north of Dimboola, is also a small town of about 500 people, and is famous as the home of Australia's former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. Dimboola is a wheat belt town of about 1700 people. The town's claim to fame is Jack Hibberd's play "Dimboola" (1974) which was subsequently made into a film. Nhill has about 2,000 people and is 40km west of Dimboola. An early 20th century Australian poet, John Shaw Neilson, who wrote the mystical poem "The Orange Tree" lived here.

To diverge a little, this poem is simple but magic. Try to analyse this poem, and it is like trying to analyse the colours of a rainbow. Peel away the magic layers, and the magical mystery dissolves.

"The young girl stood beside me. I

Saw not what her young eyes could see:

- A light, she said, not of the sky

Lives somewhere in the Orange Tree."

So why would a travel mogul go to such places on Australia Day? At a guess, I would suggest it is a form of escape. He would be expected to attend some form of function, so Tony Wheeler chose one as little crowded as possible! Or maybe there is a touch of humanitarianism involved. Often people in small towns are forgotten in the bustle of progress. Perhaps Tony is keeping connections healthy and alive! (I'm afraid I could not find the answer to that in his blog.) But on deeper reflection, his choice reflects the spirit of Lonely Planet - there is far more to travelling than flash hotels, expensive stage shows and exotic feasts!

Kate Locke Wrote On August 01, 2007 05:07 PM Australia Day means a lot of things to a lot of people. As a kid, you grow up thinking 'Yay, a day off!'. The older you get, the more you realise that, looking around you on Australia Day, in the sunshine, at the BBQ you've organised, watching the boats compete, attending a cricket game thrown together by a group of friends in your backyard - you realise that everyone is happy, smiling, enjoying themselves, enjoying the weather...There is nothing better than turning to someone you dont know in the park, holding up your can of VB with recognition in your eyes, and saying "Cheers mate!" ~ Comment posted on the official Australia Day website.

Australia Day, for me, is a time to get out, but not where there are crowds of people. I would prefer to walk the scents of summer bushland, or find some small space by the sea - if that's at all possible - and feel clean, pale sands drifting softly round bare bare feet. Appreciating nature, appreciating the earth we walk upon so freely is all part of the spirit of Australia Day. Maybe I cheat a little and watch the fanfare of parades and fireworks on TV! I love seeing glimpses of Western Australia's fireworks on the river or Sydney's harbour celebrations by night light! There's usually plenty to see on all channels! But at least the crowds are locked into a screen! When I've had enough, I flick the switch!

"Sydney Morning Herald" reported on November 29, 2007 -

"Google celebrates Australia Day - Asher Moses - Google's Dennis Hwang is so impressed by Australian doodles he's chosen a favourite to display in front of millions on the search giant's homepage. Hwang, 29, the mastermind behind the themed Google logos ("doodles") that are uploaded to the site for special events, is in Australia to pick the winner of the Doodle 4 Google competition.

In July, Google invited schoolchildren in years 1-10 from across the country to design a new Google logo around the theme "My Australia", which it plans to run on its home page on Australia Day next year. More than 2500 schools registered for the competition and more than 10,000 entries were received, all competing for $10,000 worth of technology equipment.

With the help of a public vote and judging panel, the entries were whittled down to four finalists and today Hwang chose the winner - Janelle San Juan, 12, from the School of the Good Shepherd in Victoria."