Western Australia Day or WA Day (till 2011 known as Foundation Day) is a local public holiday that takes place each year on the first Monday in June. Western Australia is logically the only state where the holiday is observed. It is also the only state in the country that has a public holiday related to its foundation.
The origin of the state of Western Australia goes back to 1829. A British vessel under command of Captain Charles Fremantle arrived on April 25 on the shores of Western Australia. On 2 May he officially claimed the land for Great Britain. Two other navy ships arrived on June 1 and June 6 respectively, carrying soldiers, officials and citizens to colonize the area. The Swan River Colony was officially proclaimed on June 11. Just two months later on August 12 the Colony's capital, the city of Perth, was founded.
In 1834, just 5 years after the arrival of the British, officials in the Swan River Colony decided an annual celebration was necessary to strengthen the community and to unite all habitants of all classes in the colony. June 1 was chosen as the date for the occasion and the name of the holiday became "Foundation Day". The date was not only to remember the arrival of first colonists in Western Australia but also as a reference to an important British Naval victory over the French Atlantic fleet that occurred on the same date in 1794: the Glorious First of June.
In 2011 the Foundation Day public holiday was renamed as Western Australia Day or WA Day. This might look like a symbolic act but what is important is that it recognises the aboriginals as the original habitants of the land. The intention of the new name is to make the celebration of the achievements of the state of Western Australia more meaningful and more inclusive for all inhabitants of the state.
Holiday | Date | Week number | Days to go |
---|---|---|---|
Western Australia Day 2009 | June 1, 2009 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2010 | June 7, 2010 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2011 | June 6, 2011 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2012 | June 4, 2012 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2013 | June 3, 2013 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2014 | June 2, 2014 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2015 | June 1, 2015 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2016 | June 6, 2016 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2017 | June 5, 2017 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2018 | June 4, 2018 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2019 | June 3, 2019 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2020 | June 1, 2020 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2021 | June 7, 2021 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2022 | June 6, 2022 Monday | 23 | - |
Western Australia Day 2023 | June 5, 2023 Monday | 23 | - |
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December 2024
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